Love Hina Boarding House Blues
by SlippyTheWeasel
Summary: Keitaro inherits the old Hinata Inn, and decides to make it an all-male dorm. Meanwhile the girls, are evicted when their manager decides to tear-down and build a store in place. Can Haruka disguise them as males so they can live in Hinata-sou? Oh my!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Love Hina. Ken does. I'm just along for the ride.

(AN: In case anyone sees any resemblance to situations/dialogs I use and the Love Hina fanfic author Bugsy uses, that's because he and I correspond a lot. He previews my stuff and helps me keeps everyone in character, more or less. My thanks to ya, Bugsy (and yes, me and him are self-inserts in some of my stories. Slippy)

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter One – **

**June 1****st****, Thursday Afternoon, Prep School**

Naru looks up from the papers she is straightening. Everyone in the room is either talking to someone, or standing around, or looking out the windows.

Sensing a familiar stare, Naru looks over her shoulder and sees that Keitaro is looking at her again. "Hey, what are you looking at, idiot?"

Blushing, hands held up in front of him, he says, "I-I'm sorry."

"Hmph!" Naru tosses her shoulder and turns back to her papers. As she looks at them, she thinks _(Ever since I started Prep School, that ronin has been staring at me. To make things worse, he has nearly the worst grades in the entire class! They say that he's failed the entrance exams twice already. Oooh, It's scary to think his stupidity might be catching. He's the 'bad grade leper' of the school, even if he does have cute eyes. . . . .") _

Instinctively, the self-improvement side of Naru's brain walks over and whacks the compassionate side with a large paper fan, _I have to get that fixed or it'll get me into trouble one of these days. _

Without thinking, Naru says, under her breath "Lousy pervert." Feeling a hand on her left arm, Naru turns to her friend and tutor Mutsumi.

Mutsumi looks at Naru, then at the still embarrassed Keitaro placing his books into his backpack, and then back to Naru. In a loud but innocent voice she says "Oh my, was the pervert staring at you again, Naru?"

"M-Mutsumi, hush, keep your voice down. And where do you get off calling him a 'pervert'?"

"Oh, I thought that was what you just said he was."

The bell rings, and the other students start to scramble out of the classroom as Naru replies, "I may not like it when that idiot is looking at me, but when have I ever referred to him as a 'pervert'?"

"Oh my! Naru, just now you called Kei-kun a 'lousy pervert'! And for the last three nights, during study time, you've told me 'That pervert was staring at me again today!'."

Hearing a sharp intake of breath and then the laughter of half a dozen students, Naru dares a quick glance behind her. Keitaro is standing there, his head bowed in shame. Naru's classmates 

are pointing at him as they pass by, laughing "Look at the pervert!" "Hey, pervert, better watch it or Naru'll knock you into next week."

The last laughing student passes him, purposely bumping into his back, causing him to drop his backpack and its contents to the floor.

Naru stands, wondering if Keitaro is going to run away again. As she looks down, she sees his sketchbook fallen open to drawings of a girl with glasses. After a moment, Naru recognizes the girl_. (That's ME!)_ Before she can stop herself, she steps towards Keitaro and angrily yells "You pervert!" pointing at the sketchbook "Who do you think you are, drawing people without their permission? What kind of, of, perverted, two-time ronin are you anyway?"

Backing away, he says "I'm sorry! Pulling her arm back, she releases a Naru-punch that sends Keitaro banking off two walls before landing next to his desk. The room is completely quite. Naru is stunned that she struck out in such anger at anyone, even that idiot. After a few seconds, Keitaro move to pick up his backpack. He stands, one hand holding his side, and slowly walks to the door.

Naru crosses her arms and stares at his back. Mutsumi asks "Oh, my, that seemed rather forceful, even for you. I hope you didn't hurt Kei-kun too badly."

"Keitaro? Why would I care what that, that ronin feels?" Keitaro's shoulders slump as he goes through the door. After a minute, Naru walks over. Looking both ways, she sees no sign of him. To herself, "Humph! That idiot! I don't care how he feels."

"Oh my, poor Kei-kun. He is kind of cute, you know. Do you think one of us should at least say we are sorry for how the others treated him?" Naru shakes her head and returns to get her books.

Mutsumi "No? Oh, well, I guess I can apologize to him tomorrow then." Mutsumi rummages around in her backpack. Finding what she wants, she asks Naru "Would you like to go back to the hotel and have some of my melons?"

Naru nods her head, but looks down the hallway for a few moments before retrieving her things.

**Later that afternoon, at the Urashima residence**

Keitaro sits on the couch, looking down at the sketchbook in his hands. _(Why did I take this to school today? I didn't mean to hurt Narusegawa's feelings; it just fell open to that page.) _

Sighing, he places the sketchbook into his pack. _(Well, I guess it doesn't matter, anyways. She obviously hates me, and I'll never get the chance to apologize properly. She's definitely gonna make it into Tokyo U. this fall. Me, I'm struggling just to make it through prep school. I don't have a chance of making it if I can't get my grades up.) _

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Keitaro turns. Looking up, he doesn't see anyone "Down here, Keitaro." Following the voice, he sees Granny Hina standing beside him, a smile spread across her gentle face. "What's wrong, Keitaro? You look so sad?"

"Granny Hina, I didn't hear you come in. Please, sit down. Can I get you some tea?"

Pointing at the table, she says "Don't bother yourself, Keitaro, I've already brought some tea for us. Come, sit with me. We have a lot to discuss. I think I can put a smile on your face." She taps the folder in her hands.

Walking over to the table, they sit. As Granny Hina pours their tea, Keitaro waits for an explanation.

Sipping her tea, Granny Hina looks over at Keitaro and smiles. "You know, you really don't look that much different than when you used to play at Hinata as a child. You've grown into a fine young man."

Grinning, Keitaro replies "Well, at least I'm a little taller than when I played there. It's strange, I haven't thought about Hinata-sou for years, but I can still clearly see it in my mind. I was so sad when you closed it, I did have a lot of fun there."

"It pleases me that you remember Hinata so fondly. It proves that I have made the right choice." Placing the folder in his hands "Congratulations, Keitaro. You are now the manager of Hinata-sou. Go ahead, open it."

Opening the folder, Keitaro sees the title, bankbook, and deed papers for the old resort, all stamped with the name 'Keitaro Urashima, Manager'. Stunned, he turns to his grandmother. "I don't believe it!"

"It's true. Hinata-sou is yours to manage now."

"B-but, what am I supposed to do as the manager of the old inn?"

"I left you a small bank account. It's not much, but, if you desire, you can start renovating Hinata, maybe re-open it. It's been a while, and a lot needs to be done, so there won't be enough money to do the entire resort immediately. But, you should be able to earn enough the first year to fix up the rest."

Keitaro sits there staring at his grandmother. "Close you mouth dear, and pay attention. I already talked to your Aunt Haruka. She's agreed to assist you for a while, so you can work on the inn and get it ready for customers."

Taking his hands in hers, "Don't worry, Keitaro, I know you'll work it all out. You've never failed at anything you've put your mind to before. Besides, I know you are the best person to 

manage Hinata. You loved that place when you were a child, so I know you'll take good care of it."

"Granny Hina, I'm honored that you place so much trust in me. I won't let you down. I'll do Hinata-sou proud. I promise. You'll see."

"After a few months, if things are going well, you'll hear from me again. Sooner if you screw up. But, I'm positive you are going to manage Hinata-sou just fine."

**Thursday evening**

Keitaro has discussed his plans with his parents. They are concerned for him, because they know how much getting into Tokyo U. has meant to him.

"Father, Mother, I just have to face it. I'm nearly twenty years old, and I've failed the entrance exams twice. I'll never get into Tokyo U., and I don't really want to try going anywhere else."

Keishi Urashima looks at his son, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"No, it's not what I want. Not really. But, it's for the best. I have to stop chasing dreams sometimes. This way, I can keep my promise to the both of you to become self-sufficient. If I can get customers, that is."

Holding her son's hand, Yohko looks into his eyes. She smiles sadly, "That's isn't the real reason, is it? You're running away from something, from that girl, the one in your sketchbooks."

Keitaro scratches his ear, "W-well, no, mother. I mean, i-it's not like there is anything between us….." then in a whisper "_or ever will be_." With a slight smile forced on his face "Besides, why would a brainy owl-faced girl want to have anything to do with a four-eyed, two-time ronin like me, who can't even get up the nerve to string two sentences together in her presence? Anyway, she'll make it into Tokyo U. this semester for sure, and at my rate, I'll never see her again." He sighs "Dreams are sometimes just too hard to ever get fulfilled."

Yohko, "Don't ever give up on your dreams! You've always proven you can do anything if you just don't give up. Trust your feelings."

Keishi, "Your mother's right, Keitaro. You can run the old inn, and still go to Tokyo University. I'm sure that you'll find a way, somehow. Just follow your old mom's advice."

Keishi winks at his son as a Yohko –Punch sends him bouncing off the bookcase, the entertainment center, and over the couch, flying through the kitchen door. Keishi immediately walks out of the kitchen with a prepared tea tray "Would you like some tea, my dear? Keitaro?"

Keitaro stares at his mom, blowing on the back of her hand "Yes, if it wouldn't be too much of an effort, my love. " she smiles at Keitaro, "It's been a while, but he deserved it for that 'old mom' comment."."

Keitaro, still feeling low, looks at his mother and father "I'll try. I promise." As he accepts some tea, he remembers the way his father flew through the air after his mother hit him because of his seemingly innocent comment. Keitaro thinks _(I hope that isn't something you inherit.)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Two – **

**June 2****nd****, Friday Morning, Prep School**

Naru waits near the lockers, wondering if that pervert Keitaro will come by before classes start. She was so upset with herself she couldn't even study with Mutsumi the night before, and she blames it on that lousy ronin. Hearing a commotion, she turns. Keitaro is there, kneeling to pick up the books which have falling from his locker.

Angrily, "Excuse me, Keitaro?" Naru steps over to him as he glances up. Distracted by the fact he isn't putting the books in his locker, but into his backpack, she places her fists on her hips and asks, more brusquely than she intended "What are you doing?"

Bowing his head, Keitaro replies "I'm giving up on Toudai. I don't have the grades to make it anyhow." Stunned by his revelation, Naru just stands there and stares at him.

Standing, he backs away from Naru. "I'm sure you'll make it in on the first try, Narusegawa. You're the brightest of us all." Bowing a last time, he says "I'm sorry for everything. Please forgive me."

As he leaves, Naru turns and goes back into the classroom. Ten minutes later, after Mutsumi has shaken her arm for the fifth time, Naru comes to her senses "Huh? W-what is it Mutsumi?"

"I wanted to ask you if Kei-kun came today. I was hoping that I could apologize to him."

"WHAT? No, he isn't here. That two-time ronin decided to quit school. Why would you want to apologize to that loser?"

"Oh, my, poor Kei-kun. And after everything, he's tried so hard." Handing Naru a slice of melon, "Well, why shouldn't we apologize? After all, he is rather cute." Mutsumi smiles and returns to her seat.

Naru looks at her papers, wondering why it bothers her that Keitaro quit_. (Why should I care? He did try hard, but he was just wasting time and bothering us successful students.)_

**June 3****rd****, Saturday, Noon, Hinata Tea Shop**

"You know, Keitaro, I think that's a great idea," Haruka tells her nephew. "I'm sure you'll be able to attract enough residents to fill the place in no time. And I'm happy to help out with the paperwork and clerical details until you get everything settled."

Keitaro, sipping his tea, turns to Haruka "Thanks, Haruka, I really appreciate the help. Turning the old inn into a men's dormitory for school students seems like a good idea. I mean, it'd be a while before Hinata-sou could be anything like a resort again, although it does have a natural hot spring. But who'd want to vacation at a run-down old place like that? I'll be able to open the annex later as a girl's dorm, and we can have a second set of baths built on the far side, so they'll have privacy."

"You seem to have put a lot of work on your plate for the first few weeks. Be careful you don't overdo it or hurt yourself. Are you sure you want to do all of it on your own?"

Keitaro sighs, "There's not enough money to hire contractors to do all the work and pay for the materials needed, but if I do the repairs myself, I can afford to do the needed renovations, and there'll still be enough left over to cover the bills for the rest of the year until I get paying residents. The annex will have to wait until I can save up more money, though." He sits back, his gaze going to the window.

Keitaro continues "I called some contractors that Granny Hina recommended. They gave me a discount on materials, and sent a guy over yesterday to help me decide what needs to be fixed, so I can prioritize what I need to do."

Turning back to Haruka, "If do the work myself before I go home in the evenings, I should have all seven rooms in the main inn ready in a two or three weeks. Luckily, the common area and kitchen just need a good cleaning; they're in pretty good shape. All of the rooms except the old manager's room are too drafty to put anyone into yet, even with the warmer weather."

Haruka pours them another cup of tea. "You know, Keitaro, you don't have to worry so much about making it a men's-only dorm. There's enough space to make it a resort if you want to. You'd fill the rooms faster if you don't restrict it to students only."

Keitaro says "No. If I'm gonna manage Hinata-sou, I don't want to be the one who ruins its reputation with a bunch of parties or disturbances going on all the time. I don't consider myself a prude, but, it just wouldn't seem right treating the old place that way. Besides, I know first-hand how little pocket money some students have, and how much they want to be independent. This way, I can help a few of them out."

"You're a good man, Keitaro. You know," she glances slyly at Keitaro and continues "You _could_ open it as an all-girls dorm first…."

Keitaro, blushing "Uh, uh….I-I don't think I c-could, Aunt Haruka"

Keitaro instantly finds himself on the receiving end of a large paper fan.

"Call me Haruka."

Rubbing his head, Keitaro looks at her, a lop-sided grin on his face "Sorry, Haruka. But, you know how I react around, well..."

Looking at Keitaro, Haruka replies "Yes, I understand. I was just joking with you Keitaro. I know how shy you are where girls are concerned. Still, you are going on twenty years old, and you're not a bad looking young man."

Laughing "Besides, if Hinata-sou _were_ an all-girls dorm, it would be an opportunity for you to 'broaden' your horizons."

Thinking about what Haruka implied, Keitaro grabs his nose. Blood trickles from it as he trips backwards over the bench. "Oh, well, it was just a thought." Haruka says.


	3. Chapter 3

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Three – **

**June 7th, a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the Omote Sando Girls' House**

Motoko "They are closing our dorm? Why?" The others, Naru, Mutsumi with Tama-chan on her head _(mew)_, Kitsune, Su and Shinobu, sit on the bench in the main hall, stunned at the news.

The landlord, holding the eviction notices, replies. "Our parent company has decided that there is more money to be made if we bulldoze this house and put a shop in. Most of the rest of the contractors around here have already done the same thing."

Kitsune stands and asks "But where are we gonna go? Ya'll are only giving us a week's notice, and with everyone out on summer vacation, all the other hotels and apartment are already booked by now."

"Sorry, that's not my concern. Your leases state that I can terminate your contracts with seven days notice at any time. Where you go is up to you. Good day." She leaves the girls' eviction notices on the small table and departs.

Su jumps to Motoko's shoulders and munches on a banana, "What are we gonna to do now? I don't wants to have to go home to Molmol."

Shinobu cries "Aaauuuuu ! I don't want to leave! If I can't stay with all of you, I'll have to move to Tokyo with my parents."

Naru, "At least they could've giving us more time to find a place. What chance do we have of staying together now?"

Motoko, still struggling to contain her rage at the landlord "Come, let us go to Haruka-san's Tea House. We need to retreat from these foul premises so that we may relax and discuss our options."

Gathering their umbrellas and raincoats, they depart for the Hinata Tea Shop.

**Wednesday Evening, the Hinata Tea shop (still raining)**

Huddled together on the side patio of the Tea Shop, the girls await the owner as they review their options. Each plan fails, as if the rain itself was trying to wash their hopes away.

They turn at the sound of footsteps and see Haruka dashing through the rain to her shop. She quickly opens the door and the girls all file into the warm, dry, and inviting main room. Efficiently preparing some hot tea, Haruka serves everyone and then pours a glass for herself.

"You all look terrible. What's wrong?"

Motoko sets her tea down, "We have been informed that we have to find new accommodations."

"You're being evicted? That's not good. What are you going to do?"

Su's head snaps up. "Evicted? On tops of us getting our behinds tossed on the expressway, we is getting evicted?"

Naru pats Su on the shoulder "We don't know what to do. If we just wanted to find rooms, we could, but no where we've called has enough room for all of us. And we don't want to be separated."

"Wait a minute. My nephew recently inherited the old Hinata Inn and Hot Springs. He wants to make it into a dormitory, and he expects to have seven rooms ready in about two weeks!"

Kitsune reaches over the counter for the sake bottle. "That's too long. We all have to move out by next Wednesday. "

"Hang on, he told me that one room will be ready early next week. You girls could apply as residents, and just share that room until the others are ready!"

The girls, various looks of relief and hope on their faces, start thanking Haruka. Mutsumi says "Oh, my, this will be ever so much fun. Our very own all-girl dorm and hot springs!" Tama-chan flies circles over her head. "Mew mew!"

Hearing Mutsumi's comment, Haruka slaps the table, "Oh spit! I forgot! My nephew is planning on making it an all-guys dorm! I am sorry girls. How could I have forgotten that?" The girls suddenly go quiet again.

Naru, "Haruka, couldn't you talk to your nephew, see if he'd consider making it a girl's dorm? I mean, what's the difference as long as we pay our rent?"

Haruka adjusts her cigarette holder and thinks about her answer "Well, it's not as easy as that. He is, well, he'd be more comfortable renting to guys instead of girls."

Motoko "Are you saying your nephew is, uh, attracted to other men?" The girls, in-spite of the seriousness of the conversation, giggle amongst themselves.

"No, Motoko, he's not attracted to other men. He's just shy around girls. Well, to be honest, ever since he was a little kid, he's been terrified of girls. He had two dear little friends that he used to play with at Hinata, and when they had to move away, it broke his heart."

Adjusting her cigarette holder, she glances out the window at the rain "He hasn't been able to build a relationship with another girl ever since. And it's sad, really. He's such a sweet young 

man, and he's always had a soft spot for the old inn. That's the main reason Granny Hina gave the Hinata Inn to him and…"

Kitsune giggles, hearts appearing in her eyes "Young and a land-owner you say? Oh My Eye! I hear wedding bells! I think I'm in love!"

Su, leaping to Motoko's shoulders, says to Kitsune "But you don't even know what he looks like! He might look like something you wouldn't wanna run over on a dark night!"

Pulling a remote control from her pocket, Su presses a button. Twelve rolling metal turtles, six wearing miniature wedding veils, six wearing top hats and tails, appear. "At least, not without a platoon of my Mecha-Tamas backin' ya up."

Motoko eyes the Mecha-Tamas "I see you have constructed a new remote control. Your skills are now complete. Indeed you are powerful as Sensei has foreseen." Motoko thinks _(I must stop watching those fantasy movies from America!)_

Coming to her nephew's defense, Haruka interjects "Actually, he isn't a bad looking guy. Of course, that could be the biased aunt in me talking."

Naru, getting into the act, poses with one hand on her hip, the other behind her head, "Would you say he's _really_ cute?" Haruka nods an affirmative.

"Naru, you wouldn't leave us, too. Would you? Aaauuuuu !" Shinobu says, playing along, with a shy wink at her friend.

Kitsune, standing and twirling on one foot, raises her sake glass "Naru, shame on ya'll, trying to steal my true love from under me before I even gets to meet him!" ..downs some sake.. spins into a scarlet evening gown "Congratulates me, I'm gonna get me a cute, young land-owner and, with God as my witness, I'll never have to pay rent again!"

"Well, if ya is gonna go, I suppose I shall have to follow to provide ya some protection from this devilish damsel stealer." Su smiles and fondles her remote.

Mutsumi, playing the forlorn friend, swoons, the back of her hand on her forehead "Rhett, I mean, oh Su,... Su, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?" "Mew mew"

Su, under her breath, eyeing Tama, twirls an imaginary moustache "Frankly, my mommy dearest, I don't give a dammed river! And if you is gonna faint, you needs ta eat more bananas. Thems good fer what ails ya!"

Naru frowns suddenly "We're all forgetting that Haruka's nephew isn't going to be renting the inn to girls."

Their sudden moment of joviality broken, the girls sit down, and silence settles on their table.

Haruka, a thought crossing her mind at Su's play-acting, puts her hand to her lips in thought. After a few seconds, she says "Maybe….Yes, it just might work…If you all are willing."

Naru turns to Haruka, "What? What might work? If who is willing?"

Haruka explains "My nephew is so overwhelmed with the work getting the inn ready for residents; I volunteered to take some of the workload off his hands. In addition to collecting the rent, bookkeeping, general clerical issues, and hiring staff, I'm also in charge of selecting suitable residents..." she looks at the girls

"…And to be honest, I can't think of a group of more deserving, responsible and considerate clients than all of you."

Mutsumi, "Oh dear, but your nephew is only going to want to rent to males."

A wicked look slowly grows on Haruka's face "Yes, that's what I said, Matsuka."

"Oh, pardon me, Haruka, but are you sure you are not drinking some of Kitsune's sake? I'm Mutsumi."

Naru's hand goes to her lips and she gasps, "B-but, Haruka, you wouldn't do such a thing to your own nephew, would you?"

Motoko, also sensing what Haruka plans, "I will not partake in a deception where I must needs be a party in lying to your nephew, Haruka-san, even if it is for our benefit. How would he react upon meeting us and seeing that you deceived him into renting to females?"

Haruka becomes more devious "Would you prefer living at another place with a bunch of strangers, Muzuno-san?"

Kitsune raises her sake to Haruka "Haruka-san is a bad girl, pulling such a wicked stunt on her own nephew…Where do I sign-up for the game?"

Su jumps over to Haruka's shoulders, but misses as she ducks at the last moment _(I'll get you my pretty, one of these __Saturday afternoons, and your little turtle, too__!)_ Rubbing her backside, she says "Hey, I'm a gamester. I likes to play games. But, what happens when your nephew meets us and sees we is not guys?"

Haruka leans back in her chair, "What? Don't tell me you girls have never played dress-up before."

Giggling as she becomes aware of Haruka's plot, Naru asks "Do you still have those extra clothes in the back room?"

Su "I thinks I can whip up a voicey modulatromater or something to makes us sounds like guys."

Motoko rubs her head "I've got a bad feeling about this." In the distance, a dog's barking echoes in the darkening night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Four – **

**June 8****th****, Thursday, lunch at the Hinata Tea Shop**

Haruka and Keitaro are going over more of the plans for opening Hinata-sou again. Keitaro shows Haruka some drawings he's done, outlining what he'd like to be able to do now and over the next several years, if the inn is successful.

"These drawings are amazing, Keitaro. You should really consider majoring in architecture at Tokyo University."

For a few moments, Keitaro just sits there. Finally "I, uh. Well, Haruka, to be frank, I'm not going to Tokyo U. I dropped out of prep school."

"Keitaro, you've spoken for years about getting into Toudai. It's been your dream since you were a little boy What changed your mind?"

Keitaro sighs "Between my lousy grades and failing the entrance exam two years in a row, I don't think I could ever get in. And now, having Hinata-sou to run, I won't even have time to go to prep school anyways. So I'll just concentrate on managing the inn for now."

"There must be some way you can still follow your dream. Don't give up."

"That's what Mom said."

"Hmmm, great minds think alike, huh? I'm sure you'll figure out a way to manage Hinata-sou AND get into Tokyo University."

"I'd like to hope so, but, right now, I just don't see how. Anyway, I've got enough on my plate to keep me busy, getting Hinata-sou going again. Besides," and Keitaro sighs "things at the prep school weren't going too well, anyways." Seeing the sudden look of hurt in Keitaro's eyes, and sensing he has said everything he's willing to about it now, Haruka doesn't pressure him to continue.

After a few awkward moments, they continue going through the drawings. Haruka notices a few titled 'Hinata Tea Shop'. "I see you've included my place in your plans. Why?"

Keitaro scratches his ear "Well, Hinata-sou and the Tea Shop have always gone together in my memories. It wouldn't seem right to fix up the inn and ignore the Tea Shop."

"Keitaro, you are a considerate young man. And don't worry too much, I'm sure everything's going to work out for the best."

Reaching for the inn's registry, Haruka tells Keitaro "Oh and I have some good news for you. I've already gotten several inquiries for rooms. Six, in fact. That'll mean you can nearly fill up Hinata-sou immediately."

"That's great, Haruka! I hadn't even hoped to have any residents for months. Maybe you're right. Maybe things are gonna work out after all."

"I've told them that all the rooms won't be ready for a few weeks, but, as they are all friends, they said they could share what is available until you can get the other rooms ready. If it's OK with you, that is. You are the manager after all."

Keitaro looks out the window, up the hill to Hinata-sou "I don't mind at all. I'm sure I'll have a room ready by Wednesday next week at the latest. I think I'll have the rest finished by late the week after that."

Haruka, seeing that her plan is going to work, continues "I'll set up a meeting next Wednesday then, so you can meet your new tenants. I'll contact them and get the contracts written up."

"Thanks for all your help, Haruka."

Patting Keitaro on the back, Haruka says "It's the least I can do for my favorite nephew!"

Keitaro reminds her "I'm your _only_ nephew, Haruka."

Haruka tells him "But that doesn't diminish how proud I am of you."

Keitaro's reply is mixed with a blush. "T-thank you." He gathers his papers, and with a wave, heads up the hill to Hinata-sou. "I'll be back down for tea later. There's a lot to do before next Wednesday."

Haruka thinks to herself _(I feel guilty about what I'm going to put Keitaro through. Oh well, it IS for a good cause. Once he's comfortable with his tenants, I'll figure out a way to break the news to him that he's the manager of an all-girl dormitory.)_

**Thursday afternoon/evening at Hinata-sou**

After discussing the renovation plans with Haruka, Keitaro returns to the inn to continue working. Going over his list of things to do, he decides to check out the hot springs.

He spends several hours scrubbing and rinsing to clean the facilities, and decides to check the water access, valves and plumbing.

With the application of a liberal amount of elbow-grease, Keitaro is able to unblock the access to the underground thermals, and the water to the hot springs flows freely again.

Finding and repairing the few leaks that appear in the return system, he steps back to survey his handiwork. _(The baths are in a lot better shape than I thought! That's a relief. Since there's only one common shower in the inn, these hot springs will definitely get a lot of use.)_

Keitaro continues working around the inn while the spring fills.

While using a hand cart to move desks and furnishings from the storage area into the rooms, the floor in a third-story room collapses, and he falls across a table in the manager's office below.

He lies still for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. He winces at the pain in his ribs, as he slowly pulls himself to his feet. He holds his left side as he surveys the damage caused by his fall.

_(Isn't that just my luck? And that was the best room, too. The only positive thing is that now I know how to spot rotted flooring.)_

Careful of the throbbing in his side, he removes the remaining rotted portions of the floor and cleans the area. Using an old poster, he covers the bottom of the hole. Going outside, he selects a piece of plywood to cover the hole in the third-floor room until he can have it professionally repaired.

Then he goes to the Hinata Clinic to see Doctor Ishido about his injury.


	5. Chapter 5

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Five – **

**June 9****th****, Friday, noon, Omote Sando Girls' House**

The girls have been practicing since Wednesday evening. Using the hairpieces Haruka provided, they are able to conceal their natural hair, although Naru and Motoko experience some discomfort because they have the most hair to hide.

Physically, they manage to appear as males. Su even whipped up some tiny devices to put in their mouths to disguise their voices.

Their behavior, however, still needs some work.

Kitsune suggests they practice burping at will, but Motoko advises against it,

"We want to act like males, not perverted, lecherous, vile…perverts!"

Kitsune grins "How else ya'll figure to disguise ourselves? We sure as spit can't walk around scratching ourselves all the time, ya know."

Naru shakes her head, but thinks _(She does have a point)_. "We just have to fool Haruka's nephew for a little while each day during the week. It's not like we have practice enough to be able to fool anyone for hours every day AND on weekends." A chill breeze blows through the room. All the girls shiver.

Su pulls a towel over her shoulders, "Did someone leaves the refrigerator open? The landlady's gonna be ticked at the electric bill this month for sure!"

Shinobu, looking at herself in the mirror, says "H-how do we know if we can fool anyone?"

Motoko "We must test these disguises. If we can convince anyone that we are men by appearance alone, that should suffice."

Mutsumi claps her hands "Oh, why don't we go to Haruka-san's Tea Shop and see what she thinks? She can give us pointers on what we may have overlooked. And we can practice there as well."

Kitsune jumps up and scratches her backside. Drawling like a cowboy, she says "Yep, we can just test that ol' cutey Hah-ru-kah." She gulps some air down and releases a horrendous belch. "If she can't tell it's us, we is sure to fool her nay-few!"

Naru giggles. "Kitsune, I thought we agreed that burping and scratching weren't necessary. But I must say, you do that very well. I thought for a second that you sounded just like a man. A stinky, smelly, pervert of a man, but a man nonetheless!"

"Indeed, it was most convincing to me as well." With a stern look on her face, Motoko pretends to draw her sword and steps towards Kitsune, "However that is a type of acting we should avoid. It is lecherous, perverted, and vile. Plus, if you had crossed paths with me you quite likely" Motoko stabs Kitsune through the chest with her imaginary sword "would not have survived."

Motoko cleans and re-sheaths her imaginary weapon. Tama-chan flies past her _(Mew mew)._ Motoko says under her breath "I swear that, one day, I will make that audacious, high-roller of a turtle meet its doom!"

Kitsune, pressing her hands to her bosom, falls to the ground, stopping to pull a cushion off a chair to pad her head as she collapses. Moving her right hand to her forehead, she cries "Oh, fickle fate. Wouldst dast thou hast not feigned thy self with overtly pious exhortations to the contrary, pithy, I am wounded twixt the soul of my, uh, soul! Death be not a sandwich! Kiss me a doggo, Fairway!" Her eyes closed, she imagines roses and money being tossed to her, along with even more money, as the audience goes wild! After a few seconds, the sound of crickets and muffled coughing causes Kitsune to open one eye.

Su munches a banana and holds up a card with "5.0" on it. Motoko says "You are holding it upside down, Su-chan." "Oops, sorry bout that, stick waving mama." The card flips, now scoring "0.2".

Shinobu is pretending to talk to the bonsai on the table.

Naru, clapping very slowly, walks over to Kitsune and nudges her with her foot. "Next time, Motoko, you may want to consider _really_ using your sword, just a little bit. As a test to see if this 'ham' is done." Helping Kitsune up, she goes on "You never were good in drama class, you know."

The Fox sits up and grins "I don't know about that. I thought we all were pretty good. We should put a show on sometime, maybe at some beach-side pavilion."

Su pulls her baseball cap on and says "Well, let's go, times a flying like a birdy in the bush. Besides, I can't wait to sees Haruka's face when she hears our new voices."

After checking their disguises one more time, they head to the Hinata Tea Shop.

**June 9****th****, Friday, just past one in the afternoon, Hinata Tea Shop**

Once seated, the girls wait for Haruka, ready to give her the greatest performance of their day.

Haruka nods to them as she walks out of the kitchen. She places her towel on the counter, and, her hips swaying in a very suggestive manner, she approaches their table. Stopping, she leans provocatively over Motoko, her breasts resting on her shoulder, a hand on her arm. Cigarette hanging from her lips, she asks Naru "Can I be of service to you gentlemen?"

Naru tries to hide her discomfort. She didn't expect that their disguises were so good. And never would she have thought Haruka, of all people, was such a flirt! "Uh, y-yes. We'd like six Oolong Teas and sandwiches, please, miss."

Haruka replies "Will there be anything else? I'm sure I can find something on my 'special' menu that you boys would like." Her hand slides down Motoko's side to her leg. Haruka turns her head slightly, and licks her earlobe.

Motoko, her face turning bright pink, stares straight ahead like a deer caught in headlights. Kitsune, having been prepared to put on her finest performance, is as dumbstruck as her friends. Su squirms in her chair, hoping to avoid being noticed. Shinobu can be heard to utter, "I peed!" before she faints.

Unable to stand this lewd behavior from her dear friend, Naru presses against her cheek to deactivate her voice changer. She says "Haruka, it's us! It's me, Naru! We're in disguise!"

Still leaning against Motoko, Haruka shifts her cigarette holder "With those owl glasses, you couldn't have been anyone else, Naru. May I suggest contact lenses if you don't want your friends seeing through your disguise in the future?"

Laughing nervously, Naru removes her glasses as the others, with the exception of Motoko, turn off their voice changers "You knew it was us? Oh, thank goodness…. Hey, were you playing games with us on purpose? That's not fair! You should have given us all a chance to try to fool you!"

Motoko, still staring straight ahead, whispers "I c-cannot seem to move! I, uh, Haruka-san, could you remove your h-hand from my leg as I believe I am perilously close to loosing bladder control."

Haruka runs a finger along a blushing cheek, and says "I'm so sorry, Motoko. However, there is one other thing..."

Standing and straightening her apron, "Only one man I know smells like jasmine incense _(and if Seta shows his face again he'll get my iron elbow in the gut)__._ And as for the rest of you, I can smell your perfume from here. My nephew may be afraid of girls, but his sense of smell is spot-on. Before you get to Hinata-sou, I suggest you use either use men's cologne or go without."


	6. Chapter 6

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Six – **

**June 10****th****, Saturday evening, Hinata-sou**

Keitaro spends the morning and half the afternoon getting the rest of the rooms cleaned, washing the bedding, hauling the loose debris down the hill to the waste drop-off, and inventorying kitchen, bath and cleaning supplies.

He notes in his calendar to pick-up the items needed from the market on Monday. When the ornamental plants he ordered arrive, he works the rest of the afternoon into the evening getting everything planted and watered.

Putting his tools and supplies away, he soaks in the hot springs to ease his aching ribs, then re-wraps his chest. Retrieving his books from the office, Keitaro goes to the common room to read through them, deciding what he needs to do first thing Monday.

Haruka comes through the front door, whistling at the transformation she sees in the old inn. After a good walk-through, they end back in the common area where Keitaro prepares them some tea.

"You know, Keitaro, I'd never have thought anyone working by themselves could have made Hinata-sou look so good in one week's time. You really seem to have a knack for fixing things up. Maybe you should open your own contracting business."

"No, I couldn't do that. To be honest, I work so hard because I love this old place. It's kinda like she's been waiting for me to come back to fix her up."

Haruka remarks "She? Why Keitaro, I didn't know you cared."

Rubbing the back of his head "Well, that's how I see the inn. Hinata-sou is a grand place, but she needs someone to help her. She needs me." Noticing Haruka's look, Keitaro says "Don't look at me like that, it's not like Hinata-sou is a girlfriend or anything like that! I mean, well, I-I…it's hard to explain."

Placing her hand on his shoulder "I think I understand, Keitaro. There's something magical about Hinata-sou, something special. And you want to help her be what she was. I think it's what draws you to her. You've always wanted to help others, even to the point of ignoring your own needs. But, I think you'll get more from Hinata-sou then you give to her."

Looking at her watch, she rises "Well, I have to get going. You should go home and get some rest. And eat something, because if I know you, you haven't stopped for food all day. Take is 

easy for the rest of the weekend. And don't forget, I'll be bringing the applicants over for a tour Wednesday."

As he clears the table, he replies "Sure thing. Everything's just about ready for them. Good-night Haruka, see you Monday.'

"Good-night Keitaro." After Haruka leaves, Keitaro makes one last round to turn out the interior lights. He gets his futon, pillow and blanket from the laundry and goes to his office to prepare his bed.

After taking his pain medication, he makes himself as comfortable as his ribs allow. As he drifts off to sleep, he thinks _(It's a good thing Haruka doesn't know I've already moved my stuff into Hinata-sou. She'd probably scold me for staying here and doing too much work.)_

**June 12****th****, Monday morning, Prep School**

Naru keeps looking nervously over her shoulder. She doesn't know what she expects to see, but whatever it is, it's not there. She has had difficulty studying for the last several days because of this weird feeling like she's being watched or something.

Mutsumi, noting Naru's glances, asks "Why do you keep looking back there? You won't see him there."

"What? Who won't I see? What are you talking about?"

"Kei-kun! You remember, the pervert. Oh, dear, did you forget that he gave up trying to get into Toudai and doesn't attend studies anymore? Oh, my, my."

Startled, Naru realizes that, even though he's no longer there, she's still being distracted by that lousy two-time ronin pervert Keitaro! Angered, she grits her teeth and mutters "Oooh, Keitaro! You'd better hope I never see your face again. It's your fault I've been so edgy at school."

**At that moment, near the Hinata Market . . .**

While shopping for Hinata-sou, Keitaro feels a sudden chill (I hope I'm not coming down with a cold!)

**Monday night**

A severe storm blows through overnight, damaging the only guest room Keitaro had been able to prepare.


	7. Chapter 7

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Seven – **

**June 12****th****, Tuesday morning**

The girls, having become comfortable acting like men, now try to decide what outfits they are going to be wearing when they meet their new manager.

Motoko ponders whether or not to carry her sword during their first meeting with the manager. Deciding she needs to concentrate on her disguise, she chooses to leave her sword tied to her suitcase when they arrive at Hinata-sou.

Examining herself in the mirror, Motoko thinks _(This blue-green waistcoat and lavender slacks seem rather feminine, but the shopkeeper said they are the latest male trend.)_

Kitsune wants to wear something silky, but gets talked out of it. Motoko says "It is our desire to make a good first-impression, not have our new manager believe we are Spanish Flamenco dancers." Kitsune settles for wearing her most comfortable under things _(At least we won't have to worry about taking our disguises off with any men around.) _with her orange cloak and turquoise pantsuit _(Yeah, very trendy!)_

Shinobu complains that everything she has looks like little girl clothes. Naru reminds her that little boys don't wear skirts, those are kilts. "Aaauuuuu ! That's why these felt so familiar."

Su has to be reminded by Kitsune that, since they are only concerned with wearing male outerwear, her normal under things is fine. That, and the fact that men wear their under things inside their clothes just like women do. Giggling and blushing, Kitsune adds "And you don't need to hide bananas in your underwear, either."

Su pulls out her notepad _"Men wear under things inside their clothes, and bananas are not clothing"_ Righty-O, Chief!" _(Gotta admits, these leather pants and biker jacket make me look way cool! Likes I is Madman Max or something.)_

Mutsumi is still adapting to the chest bands. Their tightness makes her short of breath and light-headed, or, at least, more light-headed than usual. That and the fact her yellow vinyl jacket and pants seem one size too small.

Naru ensures that her choices of male garments are color-matched. Pale green, with pink border stripes. Sipping some Oolong tea, she remarks to the others "It's a good thing I decided that we should get new clothes. It was very helpful of that musician playing outside Shibuya Station to recommend the Blue Oyster Men's Wear shop. The clothes Haruka gave us _are_ a little plain."

**Tuesday late morning**

After discovering the damaged wall and leaking roof, Keitaro covers the area with a tarp until he can order the supplies to repair it. Since his is now the only suitable room available, he decides to let the new residents stay in his room, while he stays in one that needs repair.

Keitaro calls Haruka "Haruka, it's Keitaro. The inn took a little damage during that storm last night. Is the Tea Shop OK?"

"Yes, it was sheltered by the hill. Is the damage bad?"

"Well, the room I had ready is leaking and the roof needs repairs. That, and I have to order the additional materials to repair it. Other than that, the rest of the inn looks pretty good."

Worried that the girls won't be able to find a place in time, not having a room at the inn, she asks "How long do you think the repairs will take?"

"Well, I called the contractors. The special wooden rafters have to be shipped down from Sapporo, and that'll take a week or so. They have the rest of what I'll need in stock, and it'll be delivered today. But, we can still accept the new tenants tomorrow. They can stay in the manager's room for now. It's not great, but at least they'll be able to move in."

Breathing a silent 'Thank Goodness', she says "That is very generous of you, Keitaro. But what will you do for an office?"

"I'll make do. I can work with the books in the common room as easily as I can in the office. I don't need privacy for that. And as long as the tenants aren't too noisy, I'll be fine. I just hope I won't be in their way down there."

Haruka replies "Well, it'll only be for a week or two. I'm sure that they won't mind having you underfoot like that."

Keitaro spends the rest of the day doing touch-up work around Hinata-sou.

**June 13****th****, Wednesday morning, Hinata-sou**

Rising early, Keitaro makes the rounds of Hinata-sou. As he walks through the mists from the hot springs, he thinks to himself_ (My first day as the actual manager of a working inn! I hope I make Granny Hina proud!)_ He inspects all the work again, paying particular attention to the common areas and grounds.

He decides to give the hot springs another cleaning _(Looks like it'll need upkeep every other day or so. I need to add that to my schedule. Good thing I'm an early riser, I can get that done before anyone needs it.)_ Finished, he puts the brushes and cleaning materials away.

Keitaro grabs a towel so he can use the hot springs and soak his ribs again. Afterwards, while drying himself, he notices that the hot water in the changing room isn't working.

Putting on fresh clothes, he checks the boiler room to find that it went out again. _(That's not good. There won't be any hot water for the laundry or cleaning until I can have it fixed. That's gonna take priority this afternoon.) _

After adding more notes to his log, Keitaro takes his medication and re-applies his bandage. Carrying all the supplies from the market Monday, hauling materials for the temporary repairs Tuesday, and scrubbing the baths this morning erased what little healing he had gotten from the one day off he had. _(I need to see Doctor Ishido again, my ribs hurt as bad today as they did Friday.)_ He calls the Hinata Clinic, and Doctor Ishido answers the phone.

"Keitaro, to what do I owe this early morning phone call? Are your ribs still bothering you?"

"Yes, Ishido-sensei. I know you said I needed to take it easy for a week, but there's just been so much I really needed to fix here, especially since I have guests arriving this afternoon. I couldn't turn them away at the last minute, just because I hurt myself."

"Keitaro, how many times must I tell you…"

"I know, I know." Laughing lightly so she knows he's just kidding, he repeats her most common phrases, "'Take care of yourself first, Keitaro. Don't overdo yourself, Keitaro. Don't forget to take the medicine I gave you, Keitaro.' I do try, but I hate to let anyone down."

After a few seconds, "As I was saying, how many times must I tell you to call me Hikari? We've known each other for years, Keitaro. And I'm only a few years older than you. It makes me feel like one of those old guys that spend their time wandering around Hinata."

"I'm sorry, Ishi.., I mean Hikari-sensai."

"That's a little better. Now, I'd like you to come by this morning so I can check your ribs again. If I know you, you've messed up the re-wrapping, and have them twisted in the back. Does your back itch, by the way?"

"How did you know? Is that part of the bruised ribs?"

Laughs, "No, that's from a twisted bandage. Come see me around eleven, I have an hour open then."

Rubbing his head, Keitaro blushes "I'll be there. Thank you Hikari-sensei."

Hikari giggles, "And do take better care of yourself, Keitaro. See you later."

Getting six sets of futons, pillows and blankets from the laundry room, Keitaro places them in his room. Deciding that Haruka should be in by now, he goes down to the Tea Shop for some tea.

Haruka was running late, and he arrives there only a minute before she does. Not realizing he walked down from Hinata-sou, "Well, making an early start today, are we? You ready Mister Manager?"

"I hope so. I noticed the boiler went out again, so I need to call the company today to see what they can do. At least the hot springs will be available until the common shower is working. Unless someone wants an ice shower, that is."

They sit there, drinking tea and discussing nothing in particular. As she is thinking about what she is about to put Keitaro through, he asks "Why are you looking at me like that, Aunt, uh, I mean Haruka?"

"You're learning."

Looking at his watch "Oops, I gotta go, I need to get take care of some things, but I should be back just after noon."

Taking two key rings from his pocket, he holds them out to her and bows. "Haruka, would you mind keeping Hinata-sou's spare keys? In case someone needs them when I'm not around? The old annexes and guest house keys are here as well."

Accepting the keys from him, she returns his bow "I am honored that you entrust these to me, Keitaro. I shall keep them safe in my office."

"Thank you, Haruka. I appreciate all your help. OK, I'll see you later then."

"Don't be late getting back. Your new guests will be here this afternoon."

**Wednesday afternoon, Hinata Tea Shop**

Returning from the clinic with new bandages, a stronger pain prescription, and a much stronger admonition from Hikari to take better care of himself, Keitaro joins Haruka for a cup of tea.

Keitaro, "Well, except for the boiler, there's nothing else I can do to get Hinata-sou more ready than she is. I hope it's enough. I'd hate to make a poor first-impression for my guests."

Haruka, "Don't worry yourself about that, Keitaro. Hinata-sou looks wonderful, and the guests are more than thankful that you are so willing to accommodate them so they can stay together. It means a lot to them, seeing as how they've been friends for years. And you'll have their other rooms ready for them in no time."

The phone rings. Haruka excuses herself to answer it. After a few moments "Keitaro, it's for you. It's the boiler contractor. He tried calling you at the inn first."

Keitaro takes the phone. After several minutes of back and forth conversations, Keitaro hangs up, a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong, Keitaro?"

"The contractor says they're overbooked, and won't be able to come out to fix the boiler for a few days."

"That's not good. And your new guests are coming today. What will you do for hot water for the laundry, kitchen and washing?"

Keitaro tells her "Well, he gave me an option. He said they are overbooked, but he also has a training class on boiler maintenance for his new technicians. He said that if I can spare six or seven hours, he'll teach me the basics, and I should be able to take care of most problems on my own after that."

"That's an excellent opportunity, Keitaro. It never hurts to broaden your skills. But, why are you still looking so worried? Are you afraid you can't learn that?"

"No, I like learning how to work with my hands. It seems almost natural to me, not like the studying I have to do …, well, like when I was trying to get into Tokyo University."

"Then what is the problem?"

"The class is this afternoon. I can't go because I have guests arriving today."

"Damn, that is a problem. Wait, Keitaro, you _can_ go, I'll take care of getting your guests settled in."

"But Haruka, I'm the manager. It's my responsibility to.."

"It's your responsibility to see to the comfort and well-being of your guests. And taking care of new resident applicants is my job, remember? You go get trained on fixing that boiler, I'll see to your guests, and explain the situation to them. You can meet with them tomorrow morning after you've all had a good night's sleep."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother to you…"

"Keitaro, be sure that if you are ever a bother, I'll be the first to let you know. Right now you are the considerate manager doing his duty for his guests. Now get going, and call that man back to tell him you'll be there. I will stay here and be a hostess and receptionist in your stead."

"Thank you, Haruka. You're the best Aunt I could ever ask for." Realizing what he just called her, Keitaro braces himself.

Patting him on the shoulder, "Since you put it that way, Keitaro, I'll forgive you this time. Just don't let it happen again."

Saluting, Keitaro says "Yes ma'am."

"Watch it!"

After Keitaro calls the contractor and finds out what time the class starts, he figures he has enough time to prepare some finger-snacks for his guests. After making a varied assortment, he tells Haruka that they are in the refrigerator, and could she serve some tea with them. She agrees, and Keitaro gets on the cross-town bus.

Haruka contemplates the turn of events. _(This'll make the first night much easier for the girls. I can get them settled in and familiarize them with Hinata-sou before they have to play-act in front of Keitaro. Yes, I think everything is going to go a lot smoother than I had planned.)_

A cold winds sweeps down from Hinata-sou and into the Tea Shop window. Seeing Haruka, the cold breeze thinks twice, and then chases after the bus Keitaro is on.

Keitaro shivers on the bus (_I didn't know they had air-conditioned service on this route.)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Eight – **

**Wednesday evening, Hinata Tea Shop**

The disguised girls arrive at Hinata with a taxi and a delivery-hire van, and unload their belongings at the side entrance to Hinata-sou as Haruka had instructed them to.

After marveling at the size and beauty of the inn, and commenting on the lovely mists created by the hot springs, they head down the stairs to the Hinata Tea Shop to meet with Haruka.

When they enter, Motoko takes the lead and calls a greeting to the young couple sitting there. They look up. The girl spills her tea, and the guy starts choking on his drink. After a few quick slaps to the man's back, the girl grabs his hand and, leaving their payment on the table, rush out the door.

Motoko comments "I believe we may be far better disguised than I had hoped. Those two appeared bemused at our dress and demeanor." Feeling more confident, she continues "In fact, I would go so far as to say they were frightened of us. We must appear to be very manly males and the mere sight of us causes others to cower away in fear!"

Su, perched on Kitsune's shoulders, "Yeah, we gots the look!

Kitsune, fists on her hips, "I feel absolutely, incredibly powerful!"

Shinobu "Aaauuuuu ! I am bad! B.A.D. bad!"

Naru, one foot on a bench, her hand raised in a salute, "I could take on the whole world the way I feel right now!"

Tama-chan "Mew mew mew!"

Haruka, having recognized the girl's disguised voices, come out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, "Well, it's about time youuuu….Oh god, I left the water running!"

She quickly returns to the kitchen, and for the next few seconds, the girls hear only the sounds of Haruka arranging some dishes. The girls quietly sit as they wait for their friend.

Haruka returns, and sits down calmly at the table. Motoko asks "Haruka, is everything well?"

She looks Motoko over, and then glances at the others. "Before I go on, could you please de-activate those voice changers?" The girls do so. "Thank you. Now, what in the world are you all thinking, dressing like this? Do you _want_ to give my nephew a heart attack?"

All the girls look at each other, and then back to Haruka. Naru speaks first, "But, isn't this how men dress?"

Haruka, "No, they don't. Unless they are interested in attracting other men."

"A-attracting? As in b-boyfriend? Aaauuuuu !" Shinobu faints. While Kitsune cradles her, Naru grabs a clean towel from the counter, wets it, and places it on Shinobu's forehead.

Motoko, her eyes wide, asks "You mean, dressed this way, we would be attractive to men? But, we are supposed to look like manly men. How is that possible, Haruka-san?"

Kitsune offers "Ahem, in all those anime ya'll watch, haven't you ever heard the phrase 'The lilacs are blooming'? I think she means the same thing, only with guys."

Su, "Are lilacs yummy?"

Naru shakes her head. "But, the man at the Blue Oyster Men's Wear shop said these were the latest fashion trends for men!"

Haruka says "Oh, so that's where you got these clothes. Tell me, have you ever really seen men dressed like this?"

Naru, "Well, now that you mention it, I don't really remember seeing anyone dress like this, except on that television show with the two guys who live together and," gasp.

Kitsune, "We look like a bunch of…?" Haruka nods.

Mutsumi "Oh, my, than that must make us, well, I guess I don't know what that makes us, do I?" Tama-chan thinks _(Mew?)._

Haruka "I hope you still have the clothes I gave you, because there's no way my nephew is going to be able to handle this. Luckily, he won't be here tonight to see you all dressed like this. He sends his apologies, but he had to meet with some contractors because the boiler went out again."

The girls breathe a collective sigh of relief that this is NOT going to be the first impression they have with their new manager.

Motoko "We will get rid of these offending clothes tonight, Haruka-san."

"No, Motoko, don't get rid of them. Fortunately they all look like cold-water-only wash. Just put them in the washers in the laundry room. I'll come up to dry them in the morning before my nephew gets here and find some place to store them where he won't see them."

**Late Wednesday evening, Hinata-sou**

Haruka escorts the girls back up the hill, and they gather their things and take them to the storage room. She shows them around the inn, giving directions to the changing rooms, the walking paths, laundry, common shower, bathrooms, and where the regular guest rooms are. She lets them take their overnight bags and place them in the manager's office where they'll be staying until rooms are repaired. Futons, pillows and blankets are already laid along the side of the room for the guests.

The girls settle in and go to the dining room. Haruka goes into the kitchen to prepare some tea, and then serves the snacks. She tells the girls that her nephew made them this afternoon before he had to go.

"I need to be going as well. If you need anything, the emergency numbers, as well as the ones for the Tea Shop and my apartment, are next to the phone in the common room." Pointing a finger at them to get their attention, she continues, "Now remember, you are all still supposed to be men, so for my nephew's sake, don't let him walk in here tomorrow morning and find all of you in robes with your hair in towels after you use the baths. I don't think he'd survive the shock! Good-night." Haruka departs Hinata-sou.

With a healthy degree of trepidation for any food prepared by a man, they sample the covered trays of food Haruka's nephew made, expecting it to be dry, stale and tasteless.

Naru, her eyes growing with delight, comments "This isn't bad. As a matter of fact, these are the best sandwiches I've ever tasted! Haruka's nephew must be a pretty good cook in his own right."

Shinobu nods her head. "He could teach me some things about preparing finger-foods. Most of what I know is about cooked food."

Sampling one of the treats delicately, Motoko's eyes widen "These are indeed excellent."

Su and Kitsune mumble affirmatives through their stuffed mouths "Um hmm!"

Mutsumi asks "Would anyone like some of my melons before we go to bed?" Everyone agrees that would be a yummy addition to the delicious treats Haruka's nephew prepared.


	9. Chapter 9

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Nine – **

**Nearly midnight, Hinata Tea Shop**

After having a late-night cup of tea and closing the Tea Shop, Haruka walks over to the bus stop, congratulating herself on a successful first day of deceiving Keitaro. _(I really think everything going to work out for Keitaro and the girls. It's not going to be the problem I thought it would be, getting them to pretend they are men so that Keitaro would let them rent the rooms.) _

A flash of lightning in the distance causes Haruka to look up. _(hmm, looks like there's going to be a storm tonight)._

She contemplates several minutes on how she will break the news to Keitaro, but can't come up with a convincing way to do it without hurting his feeling for lying to him. The bus pulls up, ten minutes late. Haruka enters, nodding to the night driver. "Sorry we're running a little late miss, please take your seat, we have to rush to get back on schedule."

Keitaro, exiting through the rear door, doesn't see Haruka. As Haruka sits, she looks out the window and sees Keitaro, a large notepad and books under one arm, walking towards the Tea Shop, and Hinata-sou as the bus pulls away. _(Oh Spit! What's he doing back here tonight? I have to warn the girls!)_ "Driver, stop! Please! I need to get off."

"Sorry ma'am, I can't do that. We're already late as it is, so you'll have to wait until the next stop. Then it'll be ten or twenty minutes before the next bus comes through to get you back, though."

_(Ten or twenty minutes? That'll take me at least forty-five minutes to get back to the dorm! God, in five minutes, anything could happen! I hope Hikari doesn't mind late night house calls; because I'm afraid we're gonna need a doctor before the night is through!)_

**Just after midnight, Hinata-sou**

Keitaro, still dirty after the practice on the training boiler, decides now is as good a time as any to try fixing the one at the inn. He gets his tools from the shed, and, with his notepad and repair manuals in-hand, proceeds to the boiler room.

After twenty minutes of grunting and squeezing himself underneath the boiler, Keitaro discovers the problem. A corroded switch isn't making contact. He retrieves a burnisher pad from his toolbox and gently cleans both sides of the switch. Replacing the panels he had removed, he re-sets the breaker, and the boiler rumbles into life!

A rumble of distant thunder reaches his ears as he walks out of the boiler room. _(Great! I was hoping to use the hot springs to clean up, but not with a storm so close. At least now we'll have heat and hot water. I need to clean-up. I want to make a good first impression in the morning when I greet my new tenants,)_ Looking at his clothes, he thinks _(I'd better throw these in the washer tonight. I've got clean clothes and spare bedding in the laundry room. I don't want to disturb the new guests, they're probably asleep by now. I'll just sleep in one of the other rooms tonight.)_ As rain starts to lightly fall, he's thankful he fixed the leaks _(at least it'll be dry.)_

**Thirty minutes after midnight, Hinata-sou**

The girls removed the 'flashy' clothing they wore, and place them in the washers. They go to the manager's room, set out their futons, and discuss their situation. Motoko, having retrieved her sword, as much for protection as for her own comfort, selects the position closest to the door in case of an emergency their first night in this new residence.

With the rumble of the approaching storm, no one hears the faint sound of the rear door of the inn being opened and closed.

Naru says "I'm really looking forward to trying that hot spring in the morning. I haven't been to a one since I was a little girl, and I've almost forgotten how good they feel."

Mutsumi agrees "We have hot springs in Okinawa, but nothing that looks as good as the one here. And we can use it every day." She giggles "Oh my, I think we are going to be spoiled here."

Kitsune "That's the kinda things I like. A hot spring, a young land owner, and free rent for life!"

Pillows converge on Kitsune from five different directions. The girls all quietly play-wrestle for several minutes. The sound of thunder grows slowly louder as they tire. They sit or lay on their futons, remarking at their good fortune. The scattered clouds allow brief shafts of moonbeams to light the room.

Downstairs, Keitaro notices that someone has already placed clothing in the washer. _(I'll take them out and dry them, just in case they need them tomorrow.)_ As he unloads the washer, he wonders _(Why anyone would put leather pants in a washing machine!)_ He carefully places them and a matching jacket across the drying rack so that they'll retain their shape as they dry. The bright yellow vinyl suit, orange cape, and kilt he removes next strike him as very odd. But, when he sees the pink and green pantsuit, his mind makes an uncomfortable leap _(Oh god! Haruka rented out the inn to a bunch of, of…)._ Shaking himself, Keitaro manages to calm down _(These could have been, uh, costumes! Yes, of course, they just left their old place, and their friends must have held a going away party! And everyone had to dress like, well, like whatever these are. Musicians, maybe?)_

After having decoded, he thinks, the mystery of the residents' strange clothing, Keitaro washes his face and arms, then changes into his pajamas and robe. Grabbing a spare futon and blanket, he quietly goes to the kitchen and looks in the refrigerator. He sees that all the snack trays he prepared are sitting empty in the sink. Smiling, "I hope they liked them, it was the best I could throw together in such a short time." Reaching down to the bottom shelf, he pulls out a small covered bowl of rice. _(I'm pretty hungry, but I don't want to make any noise that'll disturb the guests. I'll just take this for a midnight snack)._ Another rumble of thunder echoes across the hills.

Motoko says, "Haruka's nephew is a fine manager, worthy of our respect. He has been more than generous in allowing us, albeit under false pretenses on our part, to move in as his guests. It would not be proper to take advantage of this situation for your own private wish to avoid paying your fair share of the rent."

"The stick waving mamacita ain't tellin' no lies, Kitsune. Besides, we ain't girls as far as he is concerned, and it's gotta stay that way for a little while til Haruka says so." 'Lamba' grabs his hairpiece and presses 'his' cheek to re-activate the voice changer "Else we'll end up walking the highway flat on our backsides whistling Dixie, and get scatterized to the four winds o'change."

Giggles follow as the other girls do the same.

'Shinto' agrees "Aaauuuuu ! We have to try and act like men, or he'll throw us out. I like it here already, and I don't wanna have to leave."

"We are most fortunate. The fates have allowed us to remain together. There must be a higher purpose directing our paths." Nabeshin nods wisely to everyone.

"Nabeshin, that sounds remotely like something I would say. Are you perhaps making fun of my speech patterns?" replies a smiling Muzuno, as a wayward pillow bounces off Nabeshin's head. Lamba glances innocently around the room.

Hearing voices, Keitaro realizes that his guests are still awake. After placing his things in one of the other rooms, he returns to the manager's room.

Shimura scolds Nabeshin. "Don't talk that way. Ya'lls voice is scary enough without spouting philosophy when the lights are out!"

Matsuka rolls over, and finds 'himself' face-to-face with Nabeshin "Oh my, I never noticed, but the moonlight makes your eyes look so dreamy." Reaching out, Matsuka touches Nabeshin's face and loudly kisses 'him'. Mmmmm-smack! Tama-chan agrees "Mew mew!"

Keitaro, his hand raised to knock, hears the last exchange, and freezes outside the door. _(ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod!)_ Unable to knock, he asks "E-excuse m-me, but am I interrupting 

a-anything?" He sees a shadow cast on the other side of the door panels. Someone is coming towards him!

Everyone giggles nervously. Nabeshin, embarrassed, thinks Muzuno has spoken. Moonlight behind 'him', 'he' leaps out of 'his' futon, steps towards the door and answers playfully "Now why would you t-think you're interrupting anything, sweetheart? Don't you know you are my one, true love?" A flash of lightning momentarily shows 'him' that a figure is just outside their door, hand raised as if to attack! Nabeshin points and screams "A BURGLAR!"

Motoko leaps to her feet, kicking the door panel to the side: her blade in her hands she cries "Foul, deceitful, perpetrator of evil! Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!"

Naru rears her fist back to release a powerful Naru-punch.

As a vortex of chi energy swirls around the blade, Keitaro stares bemused at the huddled group of guys in the room, holding on to each other like, well, like girls would. Shocked further at the sight of the dark roiling energies moving towards him, he whispers,"Oh heck!" Lightning splits the sky, its blue glow illuminating everything in the hall. Backing away, he says "I'm sorry! Please! I-I'm Keitaro Urashima, I'm your Manager!" His hands involuntarily move in an attempt to protect his injured ribs. Unwittingly, he leaves himself wide-open for..

The Naru-punch smashes squarely against his forehead, knocking off his glasses, throwing him across the hall, and flipping him over the rail. Hanging motionless in the air for a split-second, he is hit full in the chest by Motoko's chi energy, flinging him though the window, sending him bouncing off the stones to land in the hot springs.

Naru and Motoko turn to each other, a look of panic on their faces as his words register in their minds "OUR MANAGER?"

Kitsune "Oh, spit! You've killed the manager! We're gonna go to jail for sure!"

Su, holding up a remote control, points it out the window and presses a button, "Not if there ain't no body. You cremates your dead in Japan, right?"

"Aaauuuuu ! Do you think he's hurt bad? Aaauuuuu!" Shinobu wrings her hands in worry.

The Mecha-Tamas fly out the hole in the wall.

"Oh, my, did you see Kei-kun's face? He is so cute!" Mutsumi remarks, her hand to her face. Tama-chan says "Mew"

Haruka, having heard the noise of the combined attacks as she reached Hinata, rushes upstairs. Looking at where the girls are staring, she turns and sees the hole in the window. Arms crossed, she turns back and asks "Please tell me you didn't just blast my nephew through that wall?" The 

girls bow their heads. "I was afraid we'd need a doctor tonight! Now, go find Keitaro and bring him to the couch in the common room, I'll get Doctor Ishido here as quick as I can."

As they move towards the stairs, Naru suddenly spins towards Su "Oh god! Wait a second. Su, what did you mean by 'cremate'?" A sudden 'woomphf' and the feeling of a warm pressure wave passing through the air stuns everyone into a mad rush down the stairs and outside.

They reach the hot springs and look for the manager. Steam, heavier than would be usual for a warm evening, hangs in the air, along with what smells like barbequed dog hair. Motoko points at the deepest part of the springs. They are amazed to see Keitaro, smoke rising from his scorched robe, pulling himself out of the water, obviously injured. "H-how could he be moving? Naru-san, between my technique, your punch, and Su-chan's Tama-Attack, he should not have regained consciousness for at least several hours, let alone be able to move!"

Naru rushes to the edge of the springs to help the manager. The others follow, and they lift and carry him, Naru cradling his head, feebly protesting that he is alright, into the dorm. As they lay him on the couch, he puts one hand to his side "What..hit..me?" he asks in a pained voice.

Motoko bows to Keitaro "Urashima-san, please forgive us. We did not realize you had come in. We thought a thief was in the dorm."

Naru kneels next to the couch, holding his hand "We didn't mean to hit you, but between the lightning and everything, we, that is.."

Keitaro looks at them, with a strange look in his eye at the way these guys are holding his hands. He gently pulls his hands from their grasps. A trickle of blood runs down his cheek to his hair. His breathing rapid and irregular, he speaks in short sentences "It's ok..not your fault..mine, should've knocked first" In spite of his pain, he manages a weak smile at them.

Keitaro grimaces, placing both hands on his chest. He explains through clenched teeth, "Forgot.. to tell Haruka.. moved in here.. my room... yours was damaged in storm.. I couldn't turn you away.. hope.. you don't mind sharing..sorry I startled you..don't worry..I'll be ok"

After Hikari arrives, Haruka rushes her to Keitaro's side. "Keitaro, it is Hikari. What happened?"

He tries to rise to speak to her. He spasms and coughs, a small trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. Nara raises her hands to her face, stopping when she sees his, Keitaro Urashima's, blood on them.

"Kami! Keitaro, lie still! Do not try to move! Haruka, help me, he's coughing up blood, and from the pattern, he's coming up from his lung. Make sure he doesn't try to get up! Keitaro, are your ribs still hurting?" He nods affirmative, trying to hold back a coughing spasm, to little affect. More blood can be seen foaming in his mouth as he grits his teeth against the pain of Hikari's examination. "Lie still. Don't try to speak."

The girls, with the exception of Naru, step forward, their worry for their manager increasing as Hikari checks over Keitaro Her words echo in their head _(Are your ribs STILL hurting?)._ The girls realize that, not only did they attack their manager, but an injured man as well.

They cringe as she examines his bruises. Hikari gasps as she slowly opens his pajama shirt to examine the bandage, poorly re-wrapped, from his previous injury "Keitaro, I keep telling you to let someone help you bandage your chest, you cannot do it alone!" As Hikari removes the bandages, she turns "Please, could you girls wait in the kitchen? This is not something I'd recommend you observe."

As they sit silently, they hear the occasional grunt of pain as the Hikari and Haruka tend their manager. After setting his ribs and re-wrapping his injuries, Hikari gives him a sedative to ease his pain and help him rest. Haruka helps her assist him upstairs to the manager's room.

Returning to the common area, Haruka tells the others they can come back out and sit, and that she will make some tea, since they could all use some. Shinobu ask if she can help, and follows her into the kitchen.

After everyone is seated, Hikari explains how she has started treating Keitaro for bruised ribs last week. They wince as she describes his current injuries.

"He now has a broken rib, a lacerated lung, his left shoulder suffered a dislocation, he has a sprained right ankle, and he's bruised almost everywhere else. That's in addition to the previous rib injury I treated. I must insist that he be kept from performing ANY tasks for at least two weeks, at least, and a minimal workload for another month. He really should have been relaxing after he injured his ribs, but he told me he had to get the inn ready for his guests."

Looking around the room, she smiles "I apologize, but I tend to be blunt. But, he has to be made to rest! No working, no studying! Nothing! Period! Am - I - clear - on - that?"

Haruka nods and the other murmur their agreement. "I think we can get by without some work being done for a while, seeing as Keitaro has already done so much around here. If I have to, I'll come up and take care of things while he gets better."

Sadly, she says "As for studying, well, that's no longer an issue. Keitaro quit the university prep school two weeks ago. He said he just didn't have the grades to make it, and that running the inn would take up most of his time anyway."

She looks up the stairs "There was something else that happened there, something involving another student, a girl, but he doesn't talk about it much. Which is so sad, because, for the first time since he was a child, he was willing to admit feelings for a girl. But I gather he hurt her feelings, or she hurt him and he took all the blame on himself for whatever happened."

She adjust her cigarette holder. "Otherwise, he would never have quit, even with running Hinata. Keitaro won't admit it, but he's using being the manager as an excuse to give up on Toudai. And that's not like him at all. Keitaro is the kind of person who keeps his promises, but too often at the expense of his needs."

Hikari sips her tea, and smiles her "I remember how he told me he was glad you found some residents so quickly, Haruka, and how good it makes him feel to get the place fixed up."

Looking over the rim of her cup, she says "However, for the rest of you; you may think you are all very clever, but you aren't fooling me! You may drop your disguises. If you're worried about Keitaro finding out, don't. He's not going to wake up from that sedative I gave him for at least eighteen hours."

The girls, amazed to have been found out so quickly by a stranger, remove their hairpieces and turn off the voice changers. Haruka asks "What gave them away, Hikari?"

Placing her tea cup on the table, Hikari flashes her a haughty look "I _am_ a doctor, you know. I have been trained to recognize the human form and all its subtle nuances, and to be able to take various bits of information and put them together to reach scientific and logical conclusions."

"Besides," she holds her hand to her mouth and giggles "if this is a men's dorm, why are all of you obviously of the female persuasion in build AND sitting around wearing _female_ underwear?"

Crickets chirp.

"…Spirits! Our male clothing is in _his_ room. Someone must retrieve the it from Urashima-san's room!" Motoko looks at Naru.

"Don't look at me! What if that sedative doesn't work? What if he wakes up? What would he think?"

Kitsune pulls at the hem of her nightshirt, which barely covers the bottom of her panties and stocking tops, "I can't go back up there, not looking like this! If he sees me like this, we're doomed!"

Haruka interjects, "It may not be a question of 'if' he sees you, but possibly of 'how much' has he already seen. I know he was rather badly injured, but Keitaro has always been a very observant individual. It's possible he saw what you all are wearing, even through the pain he was in. And with those voice changers going, and him having expected male residents anyway, he must be one confused young manager about now."

Kitsune says "But, uh, I think we're gonna have a bigger problem. I don't think Keitaro saw much before Motoko and Naru clobbered him. Most of the lights were out, and there was barely 

enough moonlight to make out who was where in the room. But I'm pretty sure he heard some of our joking, and I know he musta heard Matsuka, I mean Mutsumi, play-kissing Naru!"

Haruka, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter what Keitaro sees when he wakes up now. He's sure to have decided that I've filled Hinata with a bunch of lecherous, transvestite frat boys. However that doesn't change anything else. No, you girls just have to continue with the plan. You need remain calm and pretend to be men long enough for him to get well enough to go home. I'm sure he'll put down anything he 'may' have seen as his imagination in any case."

Motoko "Haruka-san that may not be an option for us. After we carried him back in after our unwarranted attack on his person, your nephew told us that he lives here now, and that the manager's room is his room. It is inconceivable to continue with this charade in this situation. We must admit the truth, whatever the consequences!"

"Keitaro's staying at Hinata, and living here? Kami! Why didn't he tell me before? Now, Motoko, listen to me! We can't let him know what we're up to, especially now since he's living at Hinata. I'll think of something. Don't forget, you have nowhere else to go. Oh, and as for sleeping arrangements, Keitaro was all set to stay in one of the other rooms tonight, so he wouldn't disturb the rest of you."

Kitsune, suspicious "I thought there weren't any other rooms ready?"

"There aren't. Your new manager was going to stay in the end room on the second floor. It's protected from the rain, but it's still very drafty at night when the wind is blowing. He tried to get Hikari and me to put him there so you wouldn't have to move your things from his room, but drafts are the last things he needs right now."

Hikari "Yes, with the wind and rain, that room is much too drafty for comfort, especially in his condition."

"He'd already put a futon and a bowl of rice in there before going to see if you all were settling in ok. The rice was still covered, and if I know Keitaro, has hasn't stopped to eat anything all day, trying to get things ready here…And before the sedative kicked in, he told me that he already fixed the boiler before he went upstairs to meet you. He wanted to make sure you all would have heat and hot water before morning."

Motoko stands. "Then, we shall stay in the room Urashima chose, and allow him privacy while recuperating. It is the least we can do, seeing as Urashima-san has shown us nothing but kindness, even after we struck him. Our discomfort will be our punishment!"

Naru,"What about our clothing, Haruka? Do you have any extra at the Tea Shop?"

"No, all the men's clothes I had I gave to you already."

Shinobu and Su, huddling with Mutsumi and Tama-chan, sit on the couch hoping someone comes up with a plan. Shinobu whispers "If only our new clothes weren't in the washer." She looks up as everyone, suddenly silent, stares at her "Aaauuuuu ! Me first!"

The girls rush to the laundry room.

Haruka "Poor Keitaro!"

Hikari, having sat quietly drinking tea through most of the conversation, rises "I must go now. I'll come back this afternoon to check on Keitaro, and see how his medicine is handling the pain. However, I must ask you to promise me something, Haruka."

Rising as well, "Anything, Hikari. What is it?"

Grinning, "I'm going to come to the Tea House for lunch before I check on Keitaro. I just have to hear the whole story about what's really going on!"

Hikari leaves with a wave to Haruka.

After about five minutes, the girls return to the common room, carrying their dried clothes.

Haruka "I thought you were washing those. They're still dry, good, you can still put them back on."

Naru "We did wash them. B-but it looks like your nephew's already seen them. They were in the dryer and on the drying rack when we went to the laundry room!"

Mutsumi "Oh, I wonder what Kei-kun thought of my yellow suit?"

Kitsune says "He's sure to think we're a bunch of sissy boys now! I need some sake!"

Haruka tells the girls she already went up to Keitaro's room, and quietly moved their futons and suitcases to the hallway for them. Bowing, they thank Haruka for her efforts. She tells them she'll be back in the morning, and for them to get some sleep. Keitaro isn't likely to wake until after lunch, according to Hakari, but they needed to be prepared just in case.

"Just don't forget to keep your disguises on, or close by if you are in your room. We don't need Keitaro losing any more blood, do we?" The girls don't quite understand Haruka's comment. Haruka bids them all good-night.

As the girls go upstairs to their new temporary room, Naru thinks, _(What was that Haruka said about her nephew? Something sounded familiar about his story, but I can't put my finger on it.)_ Naru lets her thoughts drift. _(Oh, well, it'll come to me sooner or later. Probably nothing important, anyway.)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Ten – **

**Thursday, two-thirty in the morning**

Keitaro lies on his futon, the sedative making him very drowsy. Lightning splits the night as the storm blows through.

Shinobu, scared from the lightning, skitters down the hall to Keitaro's room. She slips in and, lying beside him, holds onto his arm in fright.

Still groggy**,** he says, "Wa's goin' on? Who're you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. The lightning frightens me. Can I stay here? I feel safe here."

"S'ok. I used to be 'fraid of storms too. What's your name?"

Remembering that they are supposed to be disguised, she says "M-my name is Shinto, Shinto Maehara."

"Keitaro. Pleased to meet ya, Tonto." Yawn "Sleep, you're safe. I'll be here, protect you." He slides most of his blanket over his guest as the sedative kicks in and he drifts off to sleep.

Shinobu smiles sleepily, and whispers "Thank you, Sempai." As thunder crashes, she sighs and drifts off to sleep, comforted by Keitaro's presence.

**Thursday morning, dawn**

The storm's fury passes, and a light rain falls.

Awakened by Su's mecha-tama alarming clock, Motoko and the others wake.

Stretching, Naru says "Good morning, everyone." then rolls over for another minute of sleep.

Mutsumi rises, puts on a robe and heads for the door "Oh my. Good morning, sleepy heads."

Kitsune, wrapped around a sake bottle, grumbles "Go 'way, I'm tryn' ta sleeps."

Su, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, presses a button on a small remote control "Stupid Tama-'tack" and the mecha-tama alarm shuts off.

Motoko, having done a head count, asks "Where is Shinobu?"

Naru rolls over again "She said something last night about making breakfast. Check the kitchen and wake me if she has tea ready."

Placing her hairpiece on her head, Motoko heads for the kitchen. As she passes the manager's room, some concern for the manager causes her to pause. She cautiously knocks at the door and bows "Urashima-san, are you awake?"

After repeating herself once more, she slowly opens his door to peer inside. There, she sees Keitaro Urashima, a smile on his face, sleeping; a bandage wrapped around his ankle, some tape wrapped around his chest, a sling wrapped around his shoulder, and a sleeping Shinobu wrapped around his right arm.

Shinobu?! "Urashima, you treacherous, vile, perverted, lecherous, male! Unhand that junior-high student and face final justice!" Shinobu, awakened by Motoko's voice, skitters back in embarrassment as she spots the sword master.

"Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!"

Throwing herself across Keitaro's unconscious form, Shinobu cries out "No, Motoko, NO!! I asked Sempai to let me sleep here because I was scared of the storm! Aaauuuuu !"

Unable to pull her attack back, Motoko uses all her will hold the energy, struggling as she slowly turns to release it down the hallway.

Naru, having heard the commotion, is standing in the middle of the hallway. Sweat pouring off her brow; Motoko slowly turns to release the energy down the stairs.

Mutsumi, holding Tama-chan, stands in the stairwell, smiling.

Her robe sticking to her body from the exertion to hold her attack, Motoko looks up "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!" _(I am definitely watching too many American camp television movies)._ As her vortex detonates, she is hurled into the manager's room.

Kitsune, with a less than half empty sake bottle, more than half asleep and still wearing her disguise, walks behind Motoko. As the sword master is hurled into the manager's room, her body slams into Kitsune's, shattering the bottle. Motoko, drenched in sake, lands on top of Shinobu, knocking them both unconscious.

Dazed, Kitsune lands beside Keitaro; spilled sake soaking into her robe. Opening and blinking one eye, she sees the manager looking at her. She says "Man, was that some kind of party last night or what?" and passes out.

Keitaro groans as Motoko's weight lands on him, and he groggily looks up to find himself face-to-face with one of the residents, face too blurry without his glasses to know who it is, but who smells of sake. Feeling a breath on his cheek, he looks to his side where he sees another guy winking at him and also reeking of sake, saying to him "Man, was that some kind of party last night or what?" as he also passes out.

Keitaro's brain shuts down before the sedative has a chance to kick in again.

Quickly pulling them off the manager, Naru and Mutsumi kneel to examine their manager as Su wakes the others.

Naru "Oh god, do you think we hurt him again? He cried out when Motoko landed on him."

Mutsumi, her hand on his forehead, says "He seems comfortable now. Oh dear, have you noticed that he has such a dreamy face." Mutsumi slowly bends towards Keitaro, her lips approaching his.

Naru pulls her away "Mutsumi! Don't do that! He might wake up and then what would we do?"

"Oh my, I'm just looking at his face."

After clearing the manager's room, Motoko and Kitsune go to wash their clothes and rinse off the smell of sake.

**Thursday, morning/upstairs and downstairs**

**Downstairs**

The others go downstairs. Shinobu goes to the kitchen to prepare a meal. Naru, Su and Mutsumi sit in the dining room to wait for Motoko and Kitsune.

Haruka arrives at the dorm. Seeing them in the dining room, she says "I'll be right with you; I'm going to check on Keitaro first." Motoko and Kitsune pass her in the hallway, but can't bear to look her in the eye. Haruka stops them, and the others can hear them in a whispered conversation. As Motoko and Kitsune bow their heads, Haruka continues up the stairs.

Naru wrings her hands "He's sure to want to kick us out now, disguise or no disguises, since we've hurt him twice in one morning!"

Su "I almost feels as bad as Keitaro looks for kicking him with both barrels last night."

"And he'd be in his rights to do it, too. What are we gonna do? We'll have to separate for sure, now." Kitsune says, lowering her eyes as she sits at the table.

Motoko slowly walks to the table, "Haruka-san reminds me that Urashima-san should not have been disturbed from the rest his body needs, let alone accosted by us again. She said we must all remain downstairs and not attempt to assist her unless she calls. Ishido-sensei will be here this afternoon to see what further harm we may have inflicted on Urashima-san. Haruka says we should make every effort to stay away from Urashima-san until he awakens. For his own safety."

"Aaauuuuu ! We c-can't be near m-my Sempai? B-but he needs someone to watch over him." Shinobu cries as she carries a large tray from the kitchen. Naru helps her, and they place breakfast on the table. Shinobu piles pancakes and bacon on the plates for everyone.

The girls wait until Haruka joins them. Anxiously, they ask about the manager's condition.

Haruka "He's fine. Well, at least he's no worse than when I left this morning. He just needs rest right now. Hikari said he won't wake up until late this afternoon."

"I will prepare a meal ready for him, Haruka-san. I shall feed h-him when he wakes up." Shinobu blushes.

Kitsune "Shinobu, don't tell me ya'll like our new manager already? Oh, but ya'll were already in bed with him. You sly little weasellette!"

Shinobu, her voice less than a whisper "In b-bed, with S-Sempai? I, I'm gonna pee!" as she faints.

Holding Shinobu, Su ask "Why would sleeping withs the manager make Shinobu wet herself? He doesn't look like a fire hydrant. Oh, I know, I know! Keitaro a pervert fire hydrant in disguise!"

Naru under her breath "Keitaro…pervert?" Thinking_ (Why does that familiar?)_

Loudly, Mutsumi says "Oh my, Kei-kun is a pervert? Poor Kei-kun, his reputation seems to follow him."

"M-Mutsumi, hush, keep your voice down. And where do you get off calling him a 'pervert'?"

"Oh, I thought that was what you just said he was."

Naru ponders the last exchange _(It almost seems like . . . . . no, they couldn't be the same person. Urashima is a very common name, after all)._

The déjà-vu part of Naru's brain, struggling to get out of its chains, looks on vilely as the self protection side walks over. _Nope, ain't gonna let you loose. You're more dangerous than Miss Compassionate over there._ The compassionate side of her brain sits in the corner sucking its thumb.

They sit eating breakfast, and discussing some of the plans for the rest of the week. Haruka says that, if the girls can take turns helping run the Tea Shop, she can manage the inn until Keitaro is well enough to resume his duties. She tells the girls that since this is their fault, they should be happy to help out, or would they like to have the picture she took of them in the Tea Shop the day Motoko lost bladder control put up on the tote board?

Rapidly, before anyone can object, "It is our fault that Keitaro is hurt, so it just would be right for us to accept, Haruka" Naru, says, looking around as the others nod in agreement.

Su salutes. "I wants to help any ways I can. Just point me to the moon and fire the torpedoes, chief! I'll does it for free, just like everybody will. I can even serve bananas, thems good tea snacks foods."

**Upstairs**

Keitaro slowly awakens. _(What kind of weird nightmare was THAT?)_ In his current stupor, he forgets that today is Thursday. He thinks yesterday was all a dream and smiles, relief flooding through his sedative-confused brain. _(Thank goodness. I was worried that Haruka had rented out the inn to a bunch of drunken, murderous, lecherous, transvestite frat-boys! Ha-ha. I'd be safer renting the place out as an all girls dorm!)_

**Downstairs**

Kitsune, sitting back and leaning in her chair near the kitchen door, says "Well, maybe a courtesy cup of sake for our efforts wouldn't be too much to ask. Ouch!" Kitsune spills some tea as she is smacked on the back of her head.

Motoko lowers the hilt of her training sword. "We will assist in any way necessary, Haruka-san, with no compensation required. It is because of our actions that this additional workload has been thrust upon you. We would be remiss if we refused to assist you."

"Aaauuuuu ! If it helps Sempai, I'll do my part!"

The girls finish breakfast, and Haruka decides now would be a good time, in-spite of the light rain, to give the girls a good long tour of the inn and the grounds. "And remember, my nephew isn't supposed to wake for several more hours, so keep the noise down.

**Upstairs**

Struggling to rise, Keitaro grimaces in discomfort. He then notices his arm, chest and ankle are bandaged _(Funny, I don't remember Hikari-sensei saying I had been hurt all over when I fell. I must be more tired than I though.)_

His stomach growls _(Oh, man, am I hungry. I haven't eaten anything since I made that sandwich yesterday)_ which was actually Tuesday Looking for something to help him walk, he is surprised he doesn't have a cane _(hmm, maybe Hikari-sensei gave me one and I left it somewhere else. Oh, well, I'll just have to take it easy on the stairs)_

Pulling himself up, Keitaro moves to his desk to get his glasses. He grabs a robe, and as the new tenants take their umbrellas and raincoats and are being shown around outside, Keitaro uses his good hand to support his weight against cabinets, rails and the wall, to help him make his way quietly down the stairs.

**Now Downstairs**

Nearly stumbling and falling on the way down the stairs, Keitaro is exhausted from his exertions. Sweat starts to pour off him, and he stops and tries to catch his breath after each near fall. Stopping in the dining room, Keitaro can smell that someone had already eaten. Thinking that Haruka might have prepared something, he looks around hopefully, but there are no plates to be seen. Moving to the kitchen, he slips on some tea and barely suppresses a scream as his shoulder bumps against the counter.

Sweating from renewed pain and the warmth in the dorm _(Well, at least the boiler is working),_ Keitaro carefully removes his robe top and lets it drape over his hips while he grabs a slice of toasted bread and a glass of water, since he doesn't have the energy to cook. Tired, Keitaro removes his glasses and tries to eat his toast, too tired to even get some butter from the refrigerator. After a few mouthfuls, his exhaustion catches up with him again, and he lays his head down on the kitchen table.

Outside, Motoko hears a noise from inside the inn, "Haruka-san, there is someone in the dorm. Is it possible that your nephew has awakened? Ishido-sensei said he shouldn't wake until this afternoon."

"Keitaro is tougher than he looks. I wouldn't be surprised, but maybe we ought to take it easy. I wouldn't want you scaring him, again. Follow me to the common room, and if he's not there, you wait there while I look for him."

Haruka leaves the girls, stressing that they remain quiet, in the common room.

Entering the kitchen, Haruka sees Keitaro, a piece of half-eaten toast in his hand, asleep at the kitchen counter. Judging by the sweat pouring off his body, he must have been almost starving for him to ignore the pain to make his way downstairs.

Quietly, Haruka returns to the common room "He's in the kitchen, asleep. He somehow made it down the stairs on his own. As injured as he is, his must have been very hungry to push through all that pain just for something to eat. He didn't have the strength left to make a decent meal, and he barely started eating a plain slice of toast before collapsing from exhaustion."

They all peek in on their new manager and ponder their impressions of him. Motoko thinks to herself; _(He seems to be in relatively excellent condition, considering his ability to overcome the discomfort of his injuries. If not for his lack of training, he would make a most excellent sparring partner)_. Kitsune rubs her chin; _(He looks so innocent sleeping there. Oh, yeah! I wouldn't mind weaseling free rent from that stuff!)._ Su tilts her head; _(Ya'll stood up to my best Tama-Attack. I think I founds me a new playmate!)_. Mutsumi place a hand to her cheek; _(Oh my, Kei-kun does _

_have a darling face. And he looks so manly with the sweat glistening on his shoulders);_ Naru stares at his back, sweat glistening as he sleeps _(Oh, poor Keitaro-san);_ Shinobu wrings her hands;_ (They're eyeing him like a lioness eyes a wounded gazelle! Aaaauuuu, his stock is rising!). _

"I think that all of you should let him rest. Shino.., I mean Shinto, you make Keitaro a quick breakfast to bring up to him." Haruka says, giving the girls a look that tells them to remain in character and give her nephew some space.

Naru, _(His blood was on my hands. Blood from his lungs!)_ "I c-can help care for him, Shinobu shouldn't have to do it all on her own!"

"No, I think that, for now, we limit Keitaro's exposure of his 'residents' to those that haven't 'attacked' him. I'll gradually introduce the rest of you as he's more able to handle the stress. Kitsune, help me carry him to his room. Shinobu, bring his breakfast and a serving tray. The rest of you, stay here. It'll be lunch time soon, and I have to meet with Hikari before she checks on her patient."


	11. Chapter 11

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Eleven – **

**Thursday noon**

After being returned to his room, Keitaro rests and more of his memory of the previous night returns. Shinobu comes up a half hour later, a covered tray ready for him. She lightly taps on the door, and he says, "Who is it?"

"Sempai, you are awake! Are you hungry? I have a meal for you."

"Yes. Is that you, Shinto? I am very hungry. But, I don't want to be a bother. You can just leave it at my desk, I'll get it."

Entering the room, "No, Sempai. Haruka-san told me to make sure you did not overexert yourself, so I am to serve you. Let me adjust your pillows so you may sit at the table." Shinobu raises Keitaro's head, and pulls the kotatsu over for him to eat on.

"I prepared breakfast this morning."

"Oh, you had a lot of practice at your old hotel?"

Looking down, "N-no, Sempai. Before I moved there, I used to help my parents in their restaurant, but I haven't cooked for some time."

'choo-choo'

"This is wonderful, although, I suppose everyone should have the opportunity to help out with cooking, this being a dorm." _(Hmmm, it never occurred to me to hire a cook. I'll talk to Haruka about some possible staff assistance. Although with only six tenants, we can't afford a full-time cook.) _

'choo-choo'

Bowing low, "S-sempai? We're s-sorry for what has happened today. I m-mean, all of us feel badly that we hurt you so badly, and then scared you this morning, please forgive us."

'choo-choo'

Keitaro bows as much as his injuries allow, "No, I am the one who should apologize. How could any of you know I was here last night? You were right to defend yourselves. And this morning was just a string of unfortunate accidents, but none of you were hurt, right? So let's just forget it."

'choo-choo'

"I heal pretty quickly. You'll see, I'll be up and around in no time. And Shinto, can you do me a favor?"

"Y-yes Sempai?

Grinning "Please stop saying 'choo-choo' with every bite you feed me. OK?"

"O-oh, so sorry. I apologize, Sempai."

"That's ok. I guess this is how it feels when brothers take care of each. I was your big brother taking care of you last night, you are my little brother taking care of me today. I am honored to be helped by you."

Hands shaking, Shinobu finishes cleaning up "Thank you Sempai. The doctor will be here soon, and you must rest until then."

"I will. Thank you, Shinto…. Oh, Shinto, may I ask you a favor?"

"Oh, yes, anything Sempai."

"Could you talk to my Aunt Haruka, and if she thinks it's a good idea, ask her if we can all have dinner up here? I'd like to meet all of you, and over dinner seems a good way to do it. We'll need some tables and chairs from storage if you guys don't mind. Haruka knows where everything is at. Otherwise, it can wait until I am able to make it down the stairs."

"Yes, Sempai, I shall ask her opinion this afternoon."

As Shinobu opens the door, the girls quickly jump out of the way, and quietly follow her down the stairs. After they help place the dishes in the kitchen, they ask her what she thinks of their new manager.

"He likes my cooking! He let me feed him! He is very kind. He doesn't even blame us for what happened to him last night, or this morning. He said it was his fault and it was an accident. He wants me to ask Haruka-san about all of us having dinner with him so we may meet this evening. Aaaauuuu!"

Naru "What is it Shinobu?"

Blushing "Even though we are pretending to be men, I almost peed when he said we are like brothers. I am so happy. Sempai likes me likes a brother already!"

Kitsune "Give it time, Shinobu. Maybe, when we can finally get rid of these disguises, he'll treat ya like a sister. Or if you play yer cards right, the younger woman! Yay!"

"Aaauuuuu ! Now I h-have, I-I peed!"

As the girls go to the Tea Shop to get Haruka's assistance in having dinner with their manager, they pass Hikari, who just had her lunch meeting with Haruka. The girls all try to avoid eye contact with her until she stands directly in front of them to get their attention.

When they look up, they are surprised to see her smiling at them. "Haruka told me the whole story, and swore me to secrecy. I totally understand such good friends desiring to remain together, and the extremes you are going through is a testament to your friendship."

The girls bow their thanks to the Doctor.

"However, I must stress that this isn't all about you. Keitaro Urashima is an extraordinary and special young man. You may not see that now. You may never see it at all. But that doesn't change who he is. My secrecy for your deception ends when his well-being is compromised. Is that clear? Do not let this worthy attempt at keeping good friends together become a cruel joke, with Keitaro the victim. If that happens, no sworn oath to my friend Haruka will protect you girls from my wrath. That is, if Haruka doesn't reach you before I do."

The girls readily agree to Hikari's terms as she shoes them down the hill. Hikari continues upstairs to check on Keitaro.

Keitaro rests while Hikari visits. She says everything seems to be healing very well, and he could be up and about in a few days. "I'll leave a cane for you to make your way around. To ease the strain, you may continue to take your meals in your room until Sunday evening. By that time, you should be able to use the stairs, as long as someone is there to assist you."

She places her things in her bag, and hands Keitaro two bottles:

"I must stress, Keitaro, you are not just injured. You haven't been eating enough for at least 2 weeks." laughs "I can that tell from the sound your breakfast is making in your intestines. I am giving you some pain killers, and yes, before you ask, they will also help you rest. The other is a nutritional supplement. Take one pain killer three times a day, at meals. Take one supplement at the same times, also with food."

"When can I start working around the inn, Hikari-sensei?"

She eyes Keitaro for several seconds to make sure he pays attention. "You must do no work until at least next Wednesday. You have to give you body a chance to start healing, AND you must eat and rebuild your stamina. Do as I have instructed, and you MAY be able to return to your normal routine in two or three weeks! Fail in either, and your recovery will take the rest of the summer, if not longer. I leave it to you to make that decision for yourself. Of course, what do I know, I'm just a doctor." She smiles to show no sting was intended, just honest concern. "I have informed Haruka of these 'restrictions', and she will pass them on to your residents."

**Thursday afternoon**

After getting Haruka's agreement, the girls all prepare to have a dinner meeting with their new manager. They are shown the storage areas where extra tables and chairs are kept. They clean these and move them into the hallway outside the manager's room for meals, as they have decided that, if he feels up to it, the residents will have all meals with him until he is able to join them downstairs, so he'll have company.

Shinobu, to make up for what she feels was the mistake Keitaro was attacked, goes down to cook 'her Sempai' a special dinner. Rather than risk the hot springs, the others assist in preparing the meal, each one insisting that they prepare something to go with the main course that Shinobu creates. They arrange a formal meal for their manager, placing his food on its own individual trays, while they will serve themselves from the main trays. "And we will not tell him who prepared what, so that we may surprise him." says Shinobu.

Haruka "At least I know how not to burn boiled vegetables."

Motoko "I shall prepare the sashimi, as 'slicing' is my specialty."

Kitsune "I'll take care of pickles and sake. (_I know a place I can get both in the same bottle_)."

Su "I know where to get pickled vegetables (_I've seen the shop Kitsune gets her sake from, although they could use some bananas, thems good pickled_)."

Mutsumi "Oh my, do you think Kei-kun would like some of my melons for dessert?"

Naru "I will prepare the clear soups" _(he needs liquids to help replace the blood he lost, and anyway, how hard can clear soup be? What would it need to make it nutritious to make up for loss of blood, I wonder?)_

Shinobu powders stomach pills and sprinkles them onto the melon slices, because Naru is helping to prepare TWO dishes. Shinobu notices there are only seven tablets left. _(There'll be eight of us eating Naru's soup tonight. I hope we don't need any more pills, since there isn't enough to go around for everyone until we can go to the market again.)_

**Thursday evening**

Everyone bows as they enter Keitaro's room, and are presented by Haruka, who acts as Keitaro's second for the dinner. Haruka and the girls have decided to use as much of the truth as possible, so as not to get confused as they maintain their disguises.

After being seated, they introduce themselves:

Mutsumi, "I am Matsuka Otohime. I am 22 years old. I was born on Okinawa. I am trying to make it into Toudai. I like heated kotatsu tables, watermelon and turtles. I have a turtle named 

Tama-chan _(mew)._ My hobbies are studying, canoe rides, and dressing up." Keitaro _(dressing up?)_

Kitsune, "I am Shimura Konno. I am 22 years old. I was born in Osaka. Everyone calls me Kitsune 'The Fox'. I like sake, reading magazines, and having fun. My hobbies are free-lance writing and gambling." Keitaro _(a guy nicknamed Fox? That just doesn't sound right.)_

Naru, "I am Nabeshin Narusegawa. I am 19 years old. I was born in Kanagawa prefecture. I am a prep school student and I want to go to Toudai. I received top scores in the nationwide practice entrance exam. My hobbies are shopping, studying, karaoke, and bowling." Keitaro _(he got top scores? Oh god, I really feel like an idiot now.)_

Motoko, "I am Muzuno Aoyama. I am 19 years old. I was born in Kyoto. I am a twelfth generation sword master of the Shinmei-ryu School. I am a freshman in high school. I detest turtles. I wish to become the greatest master of the Shinmei-ryu School. My hobbies are practicing with my sword, meditation, and watching anime." Keitaro_ (practicing 'gulp' I hope he doesn't ever practice on me again.)_

Su, "I am Lamba Su, but ya'll can call me Su. I am 16 years old. I was born in my home country. I wanna rule the world someday. I'm a freshman in junior high school. I like bananas and turtles, stewed. My hobbies are inventing, having fun, and eating." Keitaro nervously thinks _(heh heh, rule the world.)_

Shinobu, "I am Shinto Maehara. I am 15 years old. I was born in Hinata City. I am a freshman in junior high school. I want to own a nice restaurant someday. My hobbies are cooking, cleaning, and stuffed animals." Keitaro thinks _(Stuffed animals? Oh well, but he does cook rather well.)_

After everyone is seated, Keitaro introduces himself.

"My name is Keitaro Urashima. I am 19 years old. I was born in Hinata City. I am the owner and manager of Hinata-sou. My goal is to someday resume studying to make it into Toudai, even though my studies never went very well before." blushing "In fact, I failed to get in twice, but I hope someday to be able to try again. My hobbies are photo stickers, cooking, working with my hands, drawing, and writing.

Naru thinks_ (Well, some people just aren't meant for university life. But, maybe, we can encourage him to start studying again. Mutsumi could include him in our study group.)_

Haruka claps her hands "Now that everyone is properly introduced, let us all relax and enjoy this fine dinner. Keitaro, everyone helped prepare the dishes, but we will keep the cook's name secret for now, to avoid any embarrassment."

"We? Did you help too, Haruka?" Keitaro grins.

"Yes. I do cook for the Tea Shop, you know. Of course, that's limited to snacks, but I am a fine cook in my own right."

Naru, "Yes, Urashima-san. Please enjoy. It is necessary to regain your strength after your accident."

They all settle in to eat, polite conversation interspersed between dishes.

They marvel at the lightly spiced fish, the soft and fluffy rice.

Everyone except Naru, however, wonders at the bitterly salty, strangely metallic taste of the soups. Not wanting to seem impolite, they finish each bowl in turn.

Despite the sweat starting to bead on their foreheads, they all enjoy the artistic balance of the sashimi, the interesting flavor of the pickles and vegetables, both boiled and pickled, and the steamed seafood. Liberal use is made of tea to try to quell the burning/tingling/nauseous sensations in their stomachs.

By the end of the meal, everyone is having difficulty hiding their discomfort. Shinobu serves the melon slices, but even the medicine she sprinkled on them is insufficient to quell the nausea in their bellies.

Everyone has gotten up from the table, and settled on the cushions placed around the kotatsu table in a conversational manner. One-by-one, they succumb to their distress, and lay on the cushions in various stages of 'Naru's toxic waste' syndrome.

Keitaro, concerned for his guests, finds his cane and forces himself down the stairs, where he searches the kitchen until he finds the stomach medicine. Finding seven tablets left, he doesn't hesitate to make his way back up the stairs, thermos of water in one hand, medicine and glass in his robe pocket. He assists each victim to take a pill and drink some water to ease it down. Once finished, he pulls himself down the hall to the room the guests are using, and drags blankets back to the manager's office. He pulls everyone to more comfortable positions, and covers each victim to keep them warm before he collapses next to the desk from his own stomach cramping and exhaustion.

**Thursday evening late**

Motoko is the first to recover from Naru's 'toxic waste' soup. As she lays there orienting herself to her surroundings, she hears the others stir in their blankets. "Spirits, that was close. I feared recovering without stomach medicine after this onslaught of Naru-san's cooking. I can't remember it being this bad in some time."

Rising on her elbows, she scans the area. Surprised, she realizes they are still in the manager's room. _(I thought we would have at least had the strength to make it back to our own rooms. Naru's cooking was more potent than I thought)._

Haruka, lying with one hand across her forehead "That was a spicy meat-ball!"

Shinobu replies to Motoko "Aaauuuuu! I didn't think it would take so long for the medicine to work. I actually mixed it in with the melons as a precaution."

Kitsune, wicked grin on her face "Then it was a good thing you did. I wouldn't have been able to make it to the kitchen for more pills if you hadn't."

Mutsumi "Oh my, and I had hoped my melons would be more enjoyable. Poor Kei-kun."

Su, looking at Naru "You is gonna be the death knell of us all with your toxic cooking skills. I could use some in my Tama-Tak napalm formula."

Naru, "It wasn't THAT bad. I was only concerned with making it nutritious enough to make up for Keitaro's blood-loss the other day. I added salt for his blood sodium levels, and some raw beef blood instead of broth for the iron he needs."

Kitsune, mouth covered, rises and wobbles down the hallway.

As she mentions the manager, everyone looks at him, lying next to the desk. "Apparently, Urashima-san is not quite up to your 'special' diet. He is still trying to recover. Typical weakling male." Motoko observes.

Haruka, rising to her knees, looks from one side of the room to the other; "But, Keitaro was over there after we finished eating. And, where did all these blankets come from?"

Being closest, Naru crawls over to examine Keitaro. She rolls him over, his glasses having fallen off, and she sees his body trembling slightly. She spots the thermos and empty stomach medicine bottle next to him. "Oh god, it must have been worse than , than….Look, Keitaro must've somehow made his way down to the kitchen and got a water thermos and stomach medicine for us all."

Motoko, slightly contemptuously, "Even with that, he is still unable to recover as easily as the rest of us.

Shinobu "But, wait a minute. I remember there were only seven stomach pills left. If the rest of us are ok, that means? Aaauuuuu! He helped us, he gave all the medicine to us! He didn't have any!"

Keitaro, barely conscious, reacts to being rolled onto his back by weakly raising one hand to his mouth.

Mutsumi "Oh my, Kei-kun helped us, in his condition? Poor Kei-kun."

Kitsune, returning "Oh spit! I think Keitaro is gonna need either a doctor or a bucket, and quick!" and rushes from the room again.

Haruka "Roll him onto his side and get him slowly to his knees!" she rushes down the hall, and returns with a cleaning bucket just as Keitaro loses his dinner. Naru, her hand on his back, feels the strain his muscles go through, and can't help but think about what his retching is doing to his injured ribs.

Motoko and Haruka support his head until the spasms are over. When his trembling eases, they lift him and place him on his futon. "Stay with him, I have some stomach pills at the Tea Shop." Haruka leaves them with the manager.

Su finds Keitaro's glasses on the floor, and hands them to Naru, who is kneeling beside him with Motoko. She places his glasses on his nose, and pats him on the shoulder "Haruka has gone to get some more medicine, Keitaro-san, you'll be ok in a few minutes."

Keitaro grins weakly, and raises his hands "I'm sorry." His hands drop weakly to his sides as he closes his eyes. "I don't mean to be so much trouble." Looking at his face close up for the first time, Naru admits to herself that Mutsumi is right, he does have cute eyes. While examining Keitaro's face, Naru has a flash of recognition, as two memories come to her mind:

_Their manager's face just now, as he said "I'm sorry"._

_That pervert from school, Keitaro, the day she struck him. Backing away, he said "I'm sorry"._

Keitaro Urashima, their manager. Keitaro, that pervert from school that dropped out_. (Oh my god!) _Her mouth drops open as her mind bends almost to the breaking point _(Keitaro the pervert is Haruka-san's NEPHEW?)_ She stands, grabs Mutsumi's arm, and pulls her downstairs to the common room. She tells her "Oh heck! Keitaro Urashima, our manager and Keitaro the pervert who dropped out of prep school is the SAME person!"

Mutsumi already knows "Oh my, I already knew that when Kei-kun came up to our room our first night here."

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, I thought that you had recognized him as well."

"Mutsumi, you know I can't see without my glasses, and my contact lenses won't be ready until tomorrow. I couldn't see his face well enough until I was bending over him just now to recognize him!"

Haruka comes in, medicine in hand "How's Keitaro doing?"

Naru, not looking at Haruka, says "That per..I mean your nephew is resting, but he'll still need those stomach pills."

Haruka pauses for a moment before going upstairs, sensing something in Naru's tone of voice, "Naru, what's wrong?"

"I-I'll tell you after your nephew is asleep. We all need to talk."

Thursday, almost midnight

After giving Keitaro the stomach pill and his pain medication, Haruka and the girls go to the common room where Naru and Mutsumi wait. Mutsumi has prepared some tea for them.

Haruka, "OK, Naru, what is it?"

Looking at the others "Do you all remember that guy from prep school I told you about? The guy I called a perv..a pervert? The guy who was always looking at me, and who would draw pictures of me in his sketchbook?" pointing upstairs "It's him! Haruka's nephew! He's the same guy!"

Motoko, standing, hand on her sword "What? You are telling us that we are residents in a dorm being run by a two-time ronin, perverted male? This is unacceptable!"

Kitsune wonders out loud "Your pervert is our manager, huh? Hmm, maybe I can get me some free rent from that after all."

Mutsumi "Oh my, this is all so exciting, playing dress-up and make-believe with Kei-kun. Can I be the mommy?"

Kitsune scratches her chin, "Seeing as we are supposed to be men, wouldn't that be baby-fadda?"

Su "Mutsumi, guys can't be mommy-fellas, it ain't natural. I could build a mecha-mommy, though, something with a ball and chain attack might work."

Shinobu wrings her hands, "Aaauuuu! Don't say that! Don't hurt Sempai! He isn't a pervert."

Motoko "I wonder if maybe there was more than Shinobu stated going on that first night, in light of what Naru has discovered."

Shinobu blushes, "Oh, no, Sempai didn't do a thing. He just let he hold his arm."

Haruka "Motoko, I can guarantee to you that Keitaro couldn't do anything untoward like you are suggesting."

"Very well. But I cannot disregard Naru's school experiences with Urashima. I shall refrain from judgment for now, but if he shows any vile, deceitful, lecherous, perverted tendencies I shall send that vile, deceitful, lecherous, wasted two-time ronin of a perverted male to his final justice."

Haruka "Naru, are you positive about what you are saying? Are you sure it was Keitaro?"

"Yes. When I was helping him get comfortable, I was close enough to see his face clearly. It's the same guy. I'm positive. He even said the same thing he did when I……when I…oh god, oh my god!" Naru's face suddenly pales.

"What's wrong, Naru? Naru?"

Naru's mind again replays her memories of Keitaro, from school and the first night in the dorm. This time, she sees what her mind failed to admit. He was not at fault, yet he apologized anyway. He was not to blame, but accepted the responsibility himself.

"Naru!" Haruka is shaking her, trying to get her attention.

Naru looks up at Haruka "I hit him."

"That was yesterday, and it was an accident, don't worry ab.."

"NO! Not yesterday. The day before he quit school, I h-hit him."

"What? Why? What did he do?"

"T-the same as yesterday. H-he didn't do anything. I just reacted without thinking about anyone's feelings but my own, and I hit him. Just because he drew my picture, I hit him."

"Your picture? Wait here a minute." Haruka rushes up the stairs.

A minute later, Haruka walks back down the stairs, a book in her hand. She sits at the table, and looks at Naru. "I'm afraid our situation just got a lot more complicated."

She places the book on the table. It is a sketchbook. She opens it near the middle, and starts flipping the pages. Random people, buildings, animals peer out from the pages, until a likeness of Naru appears. After that, the next dozen or so pages are of nothing but Naru, sitting at her desk, studying, walking in the hall at school, talking to Mutsumi, looking over her shoulder, etc.

The last drawing causes all the girls to gasp. It is Naru, anger in her face, looking down, fists on her hips. _**"I'm sorry, Narusegawa"**_ written across the bottom.

Naru "That's, that's the last way he saw me at school! Even after how I treated him, he still drew my picture and apologizes? Why?"

Mutsumi, "Oh my, Kei-kun seems to like you, Naru. Or, at least he did before he left school."

Haruka "Naru, I'm afraid YOU are the girl Keitaro believes that he hurt at school. Damn, this isn't good."

Kitsune "Haruka, all the drawings show Naru wearing her glasses. As long as she doesn't wear them here, we might still pull this off long enough for you to convince him the make Hinata-sou an all-girl dorm."

Motoko "The risk is great that he will see through our deception before then, and most likely would kick us out for betraying his trust. For that, and for having lied on our resident contracts."

Kitsune slaps her hand against her forehead; "Spit! An offense like that will get us thirty days in the hoosegow, if Keitaro presses charges. It also makes it almost impossible to be accepted anywhere decent. We could be stuck in a flea-ridden, rat trap of a dump!"

Su jumps up on the back of the couch; "A free ridin' rat rap sounds neat! We can bling our thing and be jammin' in the her-house!" She flips upside down and spins on her head three times before slipping and crashing to the floor. Sitting up, Su rubs her head "I thinks I just bent my bling!"

Shinobu runs around the coffee table a few times while covering her ears; "They made me do it! I'm innocent! I don't want to go to jail, I'm too young and . . . "Shinobu hits a support beam a glancing blow and spins towards the dining room door. She tumbles though and there is silence for a few moments. Presently the sound of scraping pans can be heard and the young cook throws the door open. Brandishing a cooking pan and shaking at the knees, she continues where she left off; ". . . . . and they'll never take me alive! Aaauuuuu!" Kitsune cups her hands over her mouth as she activates her voice changer; "Give it up, Cookie, we have da joint surrounded! Come out with your hands up or the turtle get's it!" Shinobu drops her pan and raises her hands; "Aaauuuuu! Me gives up!" and promptly passes out.

Naru looks at Motoko, and laughs "Well, so much for not being taken alive."

Motoko, trying to hold back her own laughter, shakes her head and places her right hand over her eyes, "I am so ashamed."

Haruka "OK, let's all just relax. We need to just work this through. I suggest we get a good night sleep, and meet at the Tea Shop tomorrow after your classes. Bring a change of clothes, and you can change there instead of risking walking up to Hinata-sou and being spotted by Keitaro as girls. He's bound to ask what you are doing, and as the manager, he won't let you enter a 'guys' dorm"


	12. Chapter 12

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Twelve – **

**Friday Morning**

The girls, waiting until Keitaro falls asleep again after breakfast, use the hot springs to quickly bathe and then change into their regular clothes, carrying their disguises to the Tea Shop. Haruka hands Naru her contact lenses which arrived that morning.

**Friday noon, Hinata-sou**

Keitaro, roused from his sleep by thirst, makes his way to the kitchen. His ankle is barely bothering him, and he almost doesn't need the cane. His shoulder and ribs are still stiff and sore, and his breathing is difficult when the medication wear off.

After making a sandwich, Keitaro grabs a thermos of tea and heads back up to his room. _(I really need to get back to work. The hot springs needed cleaning this morning, but I just couldn't stay awake after last night's 'incidents'. If I take it easy, I should be able to clean it before the residents get back from school. Then, I'd like to go down to the Tea Shop and relax. It's kinda lonely up here during the day.)_

Keitaro goes over his books, and re-arranges the schedules he developed to make up for the days he was unable to work.

Going downstairs, he gets his cleaning brushes and towels from the changing room, and proceeds to clean the hot springs. After three hours of scrubbing, he has the springs looking their best again. He carefully removes his bandages and relaxes in the hot springs for a half hour. He then dries off, and proceeds to re-bandage his chest and shoulder as best he can, and puts his ankle brace on.

Taking extreme care, Keitaro makes his way down the back path to the Tea Shop, rather than risk the long stairs. He sits down in a corner bench at the back of the shop, where, exhausted from washing the springs, he lays down and falls asleep, unseen by Haruka.

**Friday afternoon, the Tea Shop**

The girls meet at the Tea Shop. The girls are laughing and giggling as they discuss their day. Haruka brings tea and sits with them. With her help, the girls try to figure out how to manage around the dorm with Keitaro there most of the time. Using the hot springs will take some careful planning or misdirection to avoid using them if Keitaro is up and about. They agree this is going to be more difficult then they planned, since they had all thought disguises would only 

be necessary occasionally, not all the time at the dorm! They decide to get some shopping and other errands done, and change back into their disguises before returning to the dorm.

After the girls leave, Haruka rises, and as she clears the cups, she sees Keitaro in the corner. Worried for a moment that he may have overheard the conversation with the residents, she relaxes as she notices him fast asleep.

She sits at the small table, and notices that Keitaro's hands are wrinkled, as if having been submerged for some time in water. Concerned, she taps Keitaro to wake him.

"Huh? Oh, it's you Haruka. I'm sorry, I came down for some tea and company, but I fell asleep."

Arms crossed, she asks "Looks like you needed the rest. Tell me, have you been doing anything around the inn today?"

Scratching his ear, he admits "Well, yeah. I cleaned the hot springs this afternoon."

"Keitaro! You know as well as I do that you are NOT supposed to be exerting yourself! And I know cleaning the hot springs is the hardest job in the dorm! Are you in pain? How do your ribs and shoulder feel? Your ankle as well."

"I'll admit, since I can't fool you. My shoulder isn't feeling too good. My ribs are about the same, but the medication helps. My ankle feels almost good as new, but I'm still wearing the brace just to be safe."

"You really have to take it easy. I promised Hikari you would take it easy. I think I will ask our new residents to help me out keeping you from harming yourself."

"But I'm the manager! I have to make sure my residents have what they need and are taken care of!"

"And I told you before; you can't help them if you aren't one hundred percent able for it. Let them help out. They'll appreciate being able to assist, since they still feel guilty about what happened to you, and you'll be back in shape faster for it."

"I'd rather be able to do my own work, but I can't lie and say that cleaning the springs today was easy. I'll trust your decision."

At the moment, Mutsumi arrives, having picked up a backpack full of melons from the local market. Recognizing her, Keitaro rises and greets her. "Miss Otohime! What are you doing here?"

Haruka thinks _(Oh Spit!)_

Mutsumi "Kei-kun, Oh my, it's good to see you here. I was worried about you."

"Y-you were worried about me? Why?"

Haruka, quickly interjecting; "Well, she is a former classmate of yours. Why shouldn't she be concerned if she hasn't seen you in weeks?"

"Yes, Kei-kun, I worried that you had giving up on getting into Toudai."

"Yeah, well. My grandmother gave me the Hinata-sou inn, and it takes a lot of time to manage it and get it repaired. I decided I just didn't have the time to study anymore. Besides, my grades weren't good enough to get in."

Naru walks into the Tea Shop and, seeing Keitaro talking with Mutsumi, hides behind the door.

Mutsumi; "You just need a good study group to help you out. I would be happy to help you. I like studying with friends, you could join us."

Naru_ (WHAT? That wasn't the plan. We were supposed to invite him as GUYS, not ourselves!)_

"You know, I'd really appreciate that. But, I don't really have time to leave the inn for anything other than running errands. Let alone studying. I have to take the needs of my guests into consideration first before my needs, or else what kind of manager would I be."

Haruka make slashing movements behind Keitaro's back, hoping that Mutsumi doesn't give away their deception, her cigarette holder bouncing up and down nervously.

"Kei-kun, I would really like to be able to help you. It wouldn't be any trouble coming to Hinata-sou as I actually live close by."

"Well, since you put it that way, how can I turn you down? I really appreciate your offering to come to the inn, since I, uh, it is a little difficult for me to get around right now."

"Oh my, I don't mind at all. I'm helping tutor another student and we can all make a study group!"

"Then I look forward to it. When would you like to start?

"I shall be there Monday. I'll bring my melons if you bring the tea."

Standing up, Keitaro bows and says "Thank you Miss Otohime. I don't think you realize what this means to me."

"Oh my, you are most welcome, Kei-kun. I'll see you Monday."

Haruka and Keitaro continue to have tea as Mutsumi leaves. Keitaro wonders how Haruka knew Mutsumi was a former classmate of his, but figures he must have mentioned her name some time while having tea the last two weeks.

Naru rushes out of the Tea Shop. Taking her to the back side of the building, she asks "Mutsumi, what in the heck were you thinking? We're barely able to keep our identities a secret without you showing up as yourself to tutor that pervert! Besides, we were going to do it disguised as guys so we could study together at Hinata!"

"Oh my, I didn't think of that Naru. But, you have to admit that he has a darling face. And he looks really handsome when he gets all shiny with sweat."

Naru blushes at the image of the manager sleeping in the kitchen, and when he is beaming at them with THAT smile. Shaking her head to clear it, she says "Hey, what does that have to do with inviting him into our study group?"

"Oh my, made ya blush."

At that moment, Keitaro comes walking around the corner of the Tea Shop to use the path up to Hinata. He stumbles when he sees Naru talking with Mutsumi.

Naru and Keitaro stare at each other for a few moments before Keitaro lowers his head, unable to look Naru in the eye. Naru's heart sticks in her throat _(He was so happy a moment ago. B-but, one look at me and he withdraws into himself. I-is it me? Is it really my fault?)_ Mutsumi turns to Keitaro and says "Oh, Kei-kun, you remember Naru-kun from school, don't you? She is the other member of my study group."

"H-hello, Keitaro." Naru says, embarrassed.

"N-Narusegawa, y-you're in Mutsumi's study group? B-but I, I can't..that is, you must think I.., I'm afraid I can't.." Keitaro still can't bring himself to look at her. _(I hurts being near her. She obviously despises me. Why does she have to be so beautiful? I have to tell Mutsumi I can't do it.)_

Naru realizes Keitaro is trying to decline studying, so she says the first thing she can think of, "I heard from my brother Nabeshin why you had to quit prep school. I'm so sorry for what happened, Keitaro. I would like to be able to help you try to get into Toudai."

"Oh yes, we can come help you study at the inn, can't we Naru-kun?"

"Uh, yes, yes we can."

Keitaro a stunned look on his face "Wait a minute. Your brother Nabeshin told you? You mean that Nabeshin Narusegawa, one of my new residents at Hinata, is your brother?"

Naru, struggling to keep up with the hole Mutsumi is digging, responds, "Yes, that's right. He is my brother. I-, he just moved in this week."

Keitaro looks down "B-but after what I did to you at the p-prep school, why would you want to h-help me?"

The compassionate side of Naru's brain bursts free of her self-improvement side's chains _(Oh Keitaro, you still take the blame, even though I was the one at fault. How could I have been so wrong about you?)_ "Keitaro, I think that was all a misunderstanding. I am willing to start over, if you are." Naru offers her hand to Keitaro, as the self-improvement side of her brain screams _NOOOOO!._

"I'd l-like that, N-Narusegawa." Keitaro steps forward, and as he reaches out to take Naru's hand, his cane slips on a loose rock, and he falls forward, with the expected results.

At that moment, the other girls, not yet in disguise, come around the corner of the Tea Shop and (apparently) see Keitaro lunging forward to grab Naru's breasts.

Keitaro looks up to where his hand has ended up. _(It's so soft and warm! Oh heck!)._ He backs away, and bowing says, "I'm sorry, please, it was an accident! Forgive me!"

Naru, _her self-preservationist side saying 'back into solitary you go, ya compassionate idiot!'_ a vein throbbing in her forehead, yells, "You Pervert!" She rears back and releases a Naru-Punch that launches Keitaro up the hill. After he disappears, Naru and Mutsumi hear the splash of his landing in the hot springs.

"Stupid idiot!" Naru says, blowing on the back of her hand.

"Oh my." Mutsumi says, and rushes up the stairs to the inn.

Naru watches her run up the steps, and then realizes what she just did. Again. For the third time!

Motoko rushes over to Naru "I see that Urashima has proven himself to be a perverted, vile, lecherous, deceitful male as you claimed he was. He has dared to accost you yet again. If your blow has not finished him, my blade will bring him final justice!" She rushes up the steps to the inn, following after Mutsumi.

Kitsune looks at Naru "Oh spit! He is a naughty little pervert, ain't he? I'm definitely gonna get me some free rent!" and follows Motoko.

"That was as purdy a hit as I've ever seen from ya's, Naru! That would give my mecha-tama attack a run fer it's moolahs!" Su pulls out a remote control, points it up the hill, presses a button, and then follows Kitsune.

"Aaauuuuu! And I slept with him!" Realizing what she said, Shinobu moans "That just didn't sound right. I'm innocent! I mean, he let me sleep by him." Blushing, she tries another tact "Don't hurt my Sempai!" and follows Su.

"Kami! I've done it again." Naru picks up Keitaro's cane and rushes up the back path to head off Motoko and the others.

Keitaro, trying to shake the fog from his brain Naru's punch caused, drags his aching body out of the hot spring. _(__Ouch__! That was stronger than the last time she hit me! Luckily I landed in the water instead hitting those boulders again. Thank goodness this isn't a girls-dorm with her as a resident instead of her brother; I can't imagine having to go through this every day.)_ Careful to avoid further aggravating his already numerous aches, he staggers to the changing room to get some towels to dry himself. He takes a double dose of the medication Hikari gave him when, suddenly, he hears a commotion in the gardens.

Opening the door slightly, he sees Mutsumi calling for him, followed by a long-haired, sword-waving kendo girl rushing about, yelling "Urashima, where are you? Come out, you vile, perverted, lecherous male! Face me, and meet final justice!" She is followed by a wave of strange looking metallic flying turtles _(why do they look familiar?)_.

A lithe, fox-like female, a wild-eyed blonde girl carrying a device that seems to control the metallic turtles, and a dark-haired girl with the demeanor of a possessive chihuahua are right behind Mutsumi and the crazy kendo girl _(Holy crap! Narusegawa's gotten a whole _pack_ of crazies to help her! I have to find someplace to hide until they go away!)_ As the medication starts to take effect, he fights an intense urge to sleep until he can find refuge from the mob searching for him.

He hears a noise to the side, and sees Narusegawa coming around the wall at a run. _(help!)_ Turning, he rushes into the inn. Trembling with terror, he staggers into the common room where Tama-chan 'mews' with concern at him. Putting his finger to his lips, he signals Tama-chan to please be quiet. Dropping his cane, he makes a mad dash for the secret panel he found a few days earlier. Moving behind the small tapestry covering the panel, Keitaro releases the hidden catch and dives through, followed by Tama-chan, then closes the door moments before the girls dash into the room. He lies down and closes his eyes as the medication kicks in. The last thing he hears before passing out is a single sound from within his hideout. "Mew?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Thirteen – **

**Friday evening, Hinata-sou**

The girls rush around the outside of the inn; justice, play-time, free rent, compassion, or guilt driving them to get to Keitaro first.

Motoko is the first to arrive at the hot springs. Seeing no sign of the manager, "That perverted male has apparently survived Naru's strike. I shall enjoy putting an end to his miserable vile ways myself!"

Mutsumi and Shinobu rush around in circles until they crash into each other, bounce, and continue running to the entrance to the dorm.

Su guides the mecha-tamas in search-and-destroy patterns around the inn and annexes.

Kitsune peaks into each bush and behind the boulders, hoping to claim the manager for herself and some free rent.

Naru discovers the trail of water as it leads into the changing room. The self-preservation side of her brain, having once again restrained the compassionate side, _Thank goodness he survived, at least I won't be going to jail for murder. Now, what excuse can I make to keep from being blamed for this if the others find out it was just an accident?_ The compassionate and déjà-vu parts of Naru's brain conspire to thwart the plans by taking secret control of the speech center of her mind.

Naru opens the door and sees the pile of towels on the floor, as well as Keitaro's opened bottle of pain medication. _(He needed more medicine? Kami no! I must have hurt him. Again!)_ She picks up the bottle, and replaces the lid. As Motoko comes into the changing room, Naru unconsciously puts the medicine into her sweatshirt pocket.

"Naru, is that lecherous male in there? Come out, Urashima, I shall be swift and somewhat merciful." Motoko pokes around the changing room with her sword.

As the others enter the changing room, Naru says "Motoko, everybody, wait! It was all an accident. When I offered my hand to him to make up for what happened at school, Keitaro's cane slipped and he fell. He was only trying to keep from falling and injuring himself more, and he accidentally put his hand on my breast. I over-reacted and struck him, without even thinking about him already being injured, when I should have been trying to catch and help him. It was my fault, not his." _(WHY did I tell them all it was my fault? What was I thinking?) _The compassionate and déjà-vu parts of Naru's brain shake hands.

Motoko lowers her sword "Spirits! I was prepared to bring final retribution upon Urashima-san in your name, and I almost attacked an innocent!"

Kitsune "Well, where is Keitaro, then? Is he here?"

Naru "His trail leads here, but he was able to dry himself enough so I don't know where he went. But, he must be in pain, because I found his medicine opened and laying on the floor."

"Aaauuuuu! Sempai is hurt again! We have to find him!" Shinobu rushes around in a circle, getting nowhere fast.

Mutsumi puts her hand to her cheek, "Oh my, Naru, that makes three times you've attacked Kei-kun."

Naru lowers her head, well aware what she had done.

"I hopes ya ain't broke him again. I was hoping to plays with him a bit." Su looks around for Keitaro.

Pulling out a magnifying glass, Kitsune asks, "Where do ya'll think he's gone off to?"

Rushing into the inn, the girls start searching for the manager. They call his name as they look through every room and closet in the dorm, with no luck.

After an hour, the girls gather in the common room to try to decide what to do. Shinobu prepares some tea for them.

"It is obvious that Urashima could not have left the dorm fast enough to be unseen by at least one of us. So, he must be hiding somewhere that we have yet to think of looking." Motoko looks at her tea cup as she thinks.

Kitsune "He knows the inn better than any of us. He would know of places he could hide that we'all might never think of."

Shinobu "But, if Sempai is hurt, he'll need his medicine for the pain. He can't go without it."

Su "Maybe I could modificate something to help us find him."

Naru sits, holding her un-drunk tea.

The girls hear a noise at the front of the inn. Glancing hopefully at the door, they see it is only Haruka. "What are all of you doing?"

Naru says "We are trying to locate Keitaro. He's hiding somewhere, and we can't find him."

"Why would he be hiding? Wait a minute, don't tell me" she sits and pours herself a cup of tea "You ran into Keitaro as yourself, he tripped or fell and his hand pulled at or touched something 

it shouldn't have, and you hit him in embarrassment. The rest of you came looking for him, either to help him, or finish the job Naru started. He apparently mistook all your actions for a lynch mob, and decided discretion was the better part of valor, and went into hiding somewhere. Is that about right?"

The girls stare at Haruka, their mouths open. Gaining some composure, Motoko asks "How could you possibly have known so precisely what has occurred?"

Haruka sits back with her tea as she remarks "If he encountered girls when he thought he was on safe territory, there isn't much else that could have happened. It's his karma. And as well as he has gotten to know Hinata-sou, I doubt he'll be found unless he wants to be found. Granny Hina once told me the inn has many old, hidden passages, but she never told me where they are. Keitaro most likely has found at least one of them, and has gone underground, as it were."

Su, "Then we just needs to set a trap for him, wait to 'snap' it!" She snaps her teeth shut as an example.

"Yay, we is gonna catch us a manager-man, and get some free rent!" Kitsune rubs her chin.

"No, that's cruel! Sempai deserves help, not traps!" Shinobu cries.

Mutsumi, her hand on Shinobu's arm "Oh dear, but we need to trap him so that we can help him. You can understand that, can't you?" Shinobu wipes a tear as she nods agreement.

"Su, how long before you can rig something up to catch him?" Naru ask.

Haruka places her hand on Naru's shoulder "Wait a minute, you are all forgetting one very important detail before you try to find Keitaro. He doesn't know most of you, and if you catch him, you're most likely going to completely freak him out."

Motoko "But, he does know us. Are we not his tenants?"

"No, Motoko, YOU are not his tenants. Or have you forgotten that this is a 'male' dorm?"

"Oh Spit! Ya'll's right! We've been chasing after Keitaro, but he doesn't know most of us as we really are. It must've totally scared him spitless to see a pack of strange girls out fer his blood." Kitsune giggles "A pack of cute girls…. Heck, a pack of beautiful girls!... Ya'll gots to admit, for a guy, it's not a bad way to go. Kinda reminds me of a Monty Python skit I seen once. There was this guy who was sentenced to death, and he was allowed to choose his method of execution. He was chased by a pack of girls who…"

Motoko interrupts her, while pointing at Su and Shinobu "I too have seen that skit, and would recommend saving a description of it for a later time, perhaps when they are four years older."

Shinobu "Why is that, Motoko? It isn't like they ran him off a cliff while chasing him half-naked and all bouncy was it?"

Crickets chirp.

"Aaauuuuu!" Shinobu faints at the thought of running partly naked after her Sempai, a dreamy smile on her face.

Haruka looks at Naru "I would hazard to guess he assumed that Naru has a hit squad after him by now." Sipping her tea "Now, first things first. Get back down to the Tea Shop, and get your disguises on. Then you can come back up and try to get Keitaro to come out or catch him. He'd be more likely to come out if he doesn't hear or see you 'girls' around anywhere."

**Friday evening, late, Hinata-sou**

After having changed back into their disguises, the 'guys' return to the inn. They decide to proceed as normal for the evening, but get Shinobu to leave a covered plate of dinner, with a note saying _'for Mr. Urashima when you get in'_ on a warmer in the dining room, to draw Keitaro out. Su sets up a mecha-tama to stay on a shelf and relay a signal if the plate is removed. Naru leaves Keitaro's cane hanging over the back of one of the chairs.

They make as to go to bed, but after turning out the lights and moving up to their room, they climb out the window and sneak back downstairs. Motoko and Mutsumi hide in the kitchen in case Keitaro makes a dash to escape that way, Kitsune and Su hide near the rear door, and Naru, and Shinobu hide near the front door. Time passes, and one-by-one, they fall asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Fourteen – **

**Saturday morning, very early**

Keitaro wakes, and after listening for a few minutes, decides that the wolf-pack must have left. He slowly opens the panel, and seeing the clock on the wall, is surprised to see it is early Saturday morning. Smelling something delicious, he walks to the dining room, where he finds the plate left for him. Lifting the cover, he is assailed by the smell of pork fried rice _(My favorite! Thanks Shinto, I'm starved.)_. Sitting down, he eats everything on the plate, washing it down with the tea from the thermos on the table. Placing the cover back on the plate, he spots his cane on the chair _(You guys are great. Brought my cane up for me, too. Not like that pack of crazies Naru sic'd on me.)_ His belly full, he carefully makes his way upstairs to his room, where he makes himself comfortable and drifts off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Tama-chan is still sleeping in the hidden passageways.

**Saturday morning, just after dawn.**

Keitaro wakes early, and looks for his medicine. Not finding it, he figures he must have lost it sometime while hiding from Naru's hit squad. He dresses and goes out the side exit, and makes his way down the path to the bus stop, to visit the Hinata Clinic and get a refill of his medicine. _(You know, I can't blame Naru for hitting me. I should have been more careful where my hand fell. And I'm sure those others were friends of hers just showing concern for her. I'll apologize to her on Monday when she comes over for study with Mutsumi, and ask her to give my apologies to her friends as well.)_

Just after he closes the door to the side exit, Naru awakens. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she realizes it is now morning. Rushing to the dining room, she sees the plate they set out for Keitaro is still on the warmer and the mecha-tama hasn't moved from the shelf. _(Oh, poor Keitaro. You haven't even come out to eat. Where are you?)_ Waking the others, they all gather in the dining room. After pouring some tea, Shinobu picks up the plate and warmer and takes them into the kitchen, where she prepares to make them all breakfast.

Shinobu screams from the kitchen. As she runs back into the dining room with the empty plate in her hands, she cries "Aaauuuuu! Sempai's dinner is gone! He must have come out and ate all of it."

Everyone looks at the mecha-tama on the shelf, and then at Su.

"Hey, don'chya looks at me like that. If he had touched the plate, my mecha-tama would've alerted us. Can I help it if he didn't?" Su explains.

Kitsune points out "Well, then why didn't it do anything when Shinobu picked it up?"

Su looks up at the mecha-tama, and pulls a small controller out of her pocket. She frowns at the controller settings, and then presses a button. Suddenly, the room is filled with the wail of a mecha-tama alarm. "Shucks, I had it on silent mode. Sorries ya'll." She presses the button, and the alarm stops.

Naru "His cane is gone, too. He must've come out early."

Motoko ponders "Urashima must be sleeping now."

All the girls look at each other for a moment, and then knock each other over rushing up the stairs to see their manager. Reaching his room, Naru carefully opens the door. Keitaro is nowhere to be seen.

"Spit! He didn't come back to his room. He musta gone back into hiding to recuperate from his fresh injuries." Kitsune says, looking around the room.

"Oh my, Kei-kun must still be afraid that 'we' are after him."

Naru, coming to a completely wrong conclusion "Or he's afraid my 'brother' might be against him now as well and doesn't t-trust 'him'."

Softly, the girls here a 'tap tap' noise. Looking around, they can't identify where the sound is coming from. "Hokey-Smokeys! We gots ghosts! Now iffen I can catches one, I can finally power my Spookmeister Mark I" Su says, wringing her hands like a mad scientist about to test a new toy.

Motoko whispers "It must be Urashima! He is moving around in the passageways Haruka told us about. Quickly, everyone spread out and listen, we may discover his hiding place."

They move to various parts of the inn, and although they can hear tapping, they can't identify exactly where it comes from. "It's obvious he isn't going to come out for a while, or he would have been here for breakfast." Naru says dejectedly.

"Ya'lls right. We might as well take this opportunity to clean up in the hot springs, since he isn't gonna show himself for a while." Kitsune says, heading for their room to change "Come on, ain't nothing else to do right now."

The girls remove their disguises and relax in the hot spring, discussing what they should do next to find the manager.

Keitaro returns with fresh medicine from the clinic, muscles and ribs still aching from his exertions. _(I'll take some later, so I don't fall asleep now.)_

Tama-chan continues to tap the secret door, hoping Keitaro lets her out.

While getting a glass of tea, Keitaro hears the male tenant's voices from the hot spring. _(That sounds like a great idea, I'm still aching from yesterday and could use a good soak)._ He goes to the changing room and prepares for the springs.

_**From Keitaro's point of view:**_ As he slides open the door leading from the changing room, he sees the long-haired kendo girl standing there, her skin glistening from her feet to her forehead. She pauses as her right hand reaches for the door and her towel hand slowly drops to her waist as her eyes widen. A few moments pass. Keitaro's glasses slowly fog over before shattering. In the distance, a dog barks. The kendo girl points a long, slender finger at him and in a voice like that of an ancient demon she screams; 'URASHIMA!' Keitaro, his feet glued in place as terror grips his heart, watches as the kendo-girl lowers her gaze as if studying a piece of old cheese. Her eyes widen and her face burns red like coals of a metal smith's forge. In the same rumbling voice, only somehow softer as if reciting a conjuration, she speaks again; 'Oh my Spirits!' Blood gushes from his nose, and he pinches it to stop the spray. His instincts take over and he spins around, his foot knocking against a long-handled cleaning brush, which falls out the door. Dropping his medicine, he flees back into the inn, not wanting to face whatever unholy power she is calling down on him.

_**From Motoko's point of view:**_ As she reaches for the changing room door, she removes her wet towel before entering. The door suddenly opens, and Keitaro is standing there. Motoko freezes. The manager's glasses shatter. In the distance, a dog barks. She points to him and screams to the others so they know she has found him, but because she still has the voice changer activated, it sounds like the rumbling of an ancient Japanese demon.; 'URASHIMA!' After a moment, she lowers her gaze. Keitaro is as bare to the waist as she is, and her view of his now sweat-covered body is quite unobstructed. Motoko's eyes widen as her breath almost sticks in her throat. Blushing bright red, she whispers; 'Oh my Spirits!' Keitaro grabs his nose as a spray of blood droplets splatter Motoko's face. Keitaro spins around and dashes back into the inn as the sword master faints and gracefully slides to the ground, the cleaning brush falling across her chest.

Keitaro runs back to his hiding place, still pinching his bloody nose. As he opens the secret door, Tama-chan flies out "Mew" and heads for some rice cakes on the dining room table.

Naru is the first to react when she hears Motoko's scream. She gets to the door of the changing room, and sees the unconscious Motoko lying half-naked at the entrance, blood on her face, a cleaning brush across her chest. Kneeling beside her, she shakes her, "Oh my god, Motoko, MOTOKO! What did Keitaro do to you?"

Kitsune, taking a defensive stance, looks around "Oh damn, he must've gone off the deep end if he's attacking us now."

Su, munching on a banana; "But why would K-man attack a half-naked girl?"

Crickets chirp.

"Spit, our disguises! We took them off!"

Shinobu cries "Aaauuuuu! He must have thought he was under attack by Naru's hit squad again and killed her with that brush! Sempai is a murderer!"

"Oh my, does that mean he no longer wants my melons?" Mutsumi says, her hand against her face.

"Everyone, grab something to defend yourself, just in case he returns. We need to be ready!" Naru reaches out to pick up the brush. Seeing Keitaro's medicine, she picks it up and puts it onto the shelf.

Kitsune grabs a small wooden bucket, Mutsumi picks up a garden trowel, Shinobu grabs three extra towels to create a makeshift nunchuka, and Su pulls a remote control from her towel to calls up a squad of ninja mecha-tamas and guards Motoko.

Naru leads Kitsune, Mutsumi and Shinobu in a slow search, trying to keep from being ambushed by the deranged manager. Thinking he may be trying to sneak around and come up from behind them, Kitsune suggests "Let's all split up, that way he can't surprise us from behind."

Naru "Good plan. If you hear anything, call for back-up!"

Meanwhile, Su has had the ninja mecha-tamas carry Motoko over to a tree, and there she sets up an ACME Burmese Tiger Trap. Softly, she says "I sure hopes you don't minds me using your body as bait, stick-waving mama, but we gots to catch K-man before he gets any more of us. It's survival of the fitness, man, er, women against beast, dog-eat-hotdog, all for one and one-size-fits-all time!" Su lays Motoko's (supposed) dead body at the base of the trap, snares and tripwires set to trigger her ninja mecha-tamas the moment Keitaro tries anything to the (supposed) body. Figuring the safest spot is right behind the trap; Su crouches a few feet behind Motoko and waits.

Tama-chan, having enjoyed one rice cake, decides to take two more for a snack later. She flies off, crumbs falling from the cake, looking for Su to see if she wants to play.

Naru finds a trail of crumbs leading out of the dining room _(Damn, not only does he kill one of us, he's calm enough to grab a snack while stalking the rest of us. Well, Mr. Urashima, you won't catch me that easily!)_ She follows the trail upstairs.

Mutsumi hears a noise from the laundry room (the washer is off-balance). As she investigates, the washer shuts off. "Oh my, Kei-kun must have heard me. I must not let him capture me, the poor murderer." She rushes through the common room, "Oh, my melons!" grabs her bag of melons, and heads out to the hot springs to hide.

_**From Kitsune's point of view:**_ Kitsune rushes along and hears something dripping near her. Raising her bucket over her head, she charges around the corner, crashing head-first into her prey, his weapon raised to strike. Not having expected this outcome, she screams and runs changing room, and for the hopeful safety of the hot springs.

_**From Shinobu's point of view:**_ Shinobu, holding her fabric nunchuka, her wet towel dripping on the hardwood floor, hears a rush of footsteps approaching her. Closing her eyes, she holds the limp weapon over her head just as someone crashes into her. With the courage borne of years of training, she promptly pees herself and runs back down the hall, heading for the rail that leads to the hot springs.

Naru continues to follow the trail of crumbs as it leads her up to the third floor. Nearing the end of the hall, the crumbs end at one of the unused rooms. Taking a deep, silent breath, she throws open the door, brush raised to strike. A pair of glowing eyes, two feet above her head, scares the living daylights out of her. The eyes rush her, and as she turns she feels something cold and clammy grabbing her shoulder. Screaming, she drops the brush, and makes a mad dash down the stairs, through the common room, bouncing off the couch, and spins wildly through the dining room, tipping the table, knocking a melon out of a bowl, which hits her full in the face, spattering its meaty fillings and juices all over her. She stumbles out the front door, vision impaired by the melon juice in her eyes, screaming "He's got me, Oh Kami-sama, help me, he's got me!" as she heads for the hot springs, her hands held in front of her.

Tama-chan, watching Naru run away from her, asks "Mew mew?" then flies out the window.

Mutsumi, Kitsune and Shinobu have found Su, and together with her huddle tighter behind the ACME Burmese Tiger Trap and Motoko's (supposed) dead body, when they hear Naru's screams.

Kitsune whispers in fear, "Oh Spit, Keitaro the Killer Manager got her!"

Mutsumi and Shinobu clutch each other, their faces white as sheets.

Su, shaking, says "If K-man comes anywhere near this Tigger Trap, my automated defenses should stops him cold,… I hopes."

They hear Naru's scream _"He's got me, Oh Kami-sama, help me, he's got me!"_ A few seconds later they see Naru, splattered in red, with ghastly chunks of red and green stuff protruding from her hair, staggering towards them. They scream in terror at the sight of their friend's (supposed) mortal wounds.

Motoko, regaining consciousness, opens her eyes as Naru steps towards to her. "Spirits! A demon approaches!" Rising slowly to her knees, she prepares to confront the demon coming for her.

Naru, seeing Motoko, is rendered speechless that her friend is actually alive and uninjured. She starts rushing towards her.

The girls, watching Motoko's body slowly rise, fear that Keitaro has somehow managed to get to the trap without springing it and is trying to make off with her body. Seeing Naru about to collapse, they jump up to rush to her aid, forgetting about the snares and tripwires.

Motoko calls on her chi to deliver a blow to the ground, in hopes of delaying the demon as she prepares a more devastating attack; "Shinmei-ryu no Gurenken! God's Cry Attack of The Crimson Lotus Fist!"

As the girls come out of their hiding place, they hit the snares. Ropes shoot out from the trap, catching their feet, snatching them up and suspending them over the tiger trap as small catapults launch walnut-sized rocks everywhere. As Naru approaches Motoko, she catches the trip wires, which cause the ninja mecha-tamas to leap out, mini kendo sticks at the ready. As Motoko unleashes a chi-powered punch to the ground, she triggers the ACME Burmese Tiger Trap.

In a blur of sticks, rocks, chi energy, ninja mecha-tamas, dust, and melon rinds, the girls all crash into each other. Yelps of pain are heard as rocks and mini kendo sticks smack against them. Rock hitting their cheeks hit their voice changers, shutting them off. Suspended in the air for what seems like an eternity, they fall into the tiger trap, which immediately fills with skunk gas (seeing as the ACME factory was out of sleeping gas). A net closes over the girls, and they are ejected from the trap to end up hanging five feet off the ground, slowly spinning while suspended from the tree they had been hiding behind.

As the dust settles, the girls are groaning in pain and at the overwhelming stench they are covered with. Kitsune says, between coughs "Su, you really outdid yerself this time. Caught the whole lot of us, and now we are sittin' ducks for that crazed killer!"

"Hey, now hold on a cotton-flicking second. Everything worked perfectly. It ain't my fault we rans into our own trap before Keitaros."

Mutsumi "Oh my, we really seem to be in a precarious situation. My melons are being squashed. Oh, is that your hand, Shinobu?"

Shinobu wails "Aaauuuuu! Sempai is gonna come and kill us just like he killed Motoko and Naru!"

Motoko and Naru, face to face in the net, say together "We are not dead!"

At that moment, Haruka comes around the corner of the inn "What in the hell is that smell?"

In a confused jumble, the girls call out to Haruka: "Haruka, help us! We can't get down!... Thank goodness!... Aaauuu, I think I dropped my towels!... Save us, Haruka, your nephew is a killer, he killed Stick-mama and Naru!... Hey, we told you we're not dead!... Oh, sorry about thats, Haruka, my mistake, they were deads, but they gots better! …Hey, watch your hand, it's cold! That goes double for whoever is scratching the back of my knee, it tickles! …Oh, you mean like 

this?... No, no, ha ha ha hahahahahaha, s-stop, stop! …Oh my, can someone help me, my melons are being squashed!... If those toes are not removed from the area of my mouth, I shall remove them in such a way that Ishido-sensei will not even be able to re-attach them!"

Walking carefully to a point upwind of the hanging stink blossom, Haruka eyes their predicament. With her arms crossed, and her cigarette holder twitching from the smell, she stands there for a few moments. Finally, "Well, I think I should leave you all up there for trying to hurt Keitaro again, but I don't think the smell is going to please anyone down at the Tea Shop."

Naru "B-but, we weren't trying to hurt Keitaro. This was all an accident! It wasn't our fault! We're innocent!"

"Indeed, Haruka-san. We struck no blow against your nephew, this time." Motoko states.

"Then you can explain the blood on your face? Is it yours?"

'No. It is not. It is your nephew's blood."

"But you just said you didn't hit him, Motoko!"

"That is true. I am at a loss to explain it. I was preparing to enter the changing room, when the door opened, and Urashima was standing there. I called to the others that he was found, then suddenly he looked at me, and blood began spurting from his nose."

Haruka adjusts her cigarette holder "I see. Tell me, Motoko, do you remember if possibly Keitaro, well, saw anything he should maybe not have?"

Motoko "I do not believe he did. All was as it should have been."

"I meant, to put it delicately, did he see any part of YOU he shouldn't have?"

Motoko thinks back for a moment. Suddenly, her face turns bright red as she remembers "Spirits, I was so stunned at seeing him standing there, I fear I, that is, my towel may have been lowered enough to expose m-my, ah, upper assets."

Haruka nods "I'd hazard to guess he, well, got an eyeful of you and lost it."

Naru "Please get us down. Don't leave us up here."

"Well, I can tell I'm gonna need some help. I'll see if I can find Keitaro."

Kitsune "B-but what about our disguises? What are we gonna do? He can't see us this way."

Su "And we is still only wearing towels or nothin'"

Motoko "Then he can definitely not see us."

"I don't mind if he sees me. Did I just say that out loud again? Aaauuuuu!"

Haruka "It's either that, or leave you up there until I can find someone else. But then, you never know who might come walking by."

Crickets chirp.

"OK, try to find Keitaro. But please make sure you blindfold him first. You can talk him through helping you without him seeing us like this." Naru pleads.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

Haruka goes into the inn. She calls for Keitaro for a few minutes until she hears a commotion in the common room area. As she walks back there, Keitaro, still wearing a towel, comes out of his hiding spot.

"Haruka, thanks god you're here! That kendo girl was at the hot springs, and I thought for sure she was going to cast some sort of evil curse on me, her voice was like an ancient demon!"

Taking him by the arm, Haruka guides him to the table. "Keitaro, you need to know, the other day was an accident. They thought you had accosted Naru."

"I kinda figured that. I already decided they were only acting to help their friend. I can't hold that against them."

Her eyes wide, Haruka responds "But, you don't even know them. How could you just forgive them like that?"

"Well, that's the truth, isn't it? What more could I have done?"

"You're a good man, Keitaro. However, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call on your good nature to assist me in a difficult task."

"Sure, Haruka, you've been more than helpful to me getting the inn ready. What can I do?"

Making up a story on the fly, Haruka says, "It's about those girls. Since the guys told me they were going to be up in Tokyo visiting some friends for the weekend, I told the girls they could use the hot springs. I forgot to give you a heads up, though."

"But, I thought I heard the guy's voices?"

(Oh Spit! Think, Haruka.) "Uh, well, what you didn't know was that these girls are all sisters of your tenants, and also good friends of mine. They can imitate their brother's voices rather convincingly when they want to."

"Oh, so that's why I thought I heard their voices. Thank goodness, I was afraid the guys had also been attacked by those girls."

"Yes, I can see how you might think that. I hope you don't mind me letting the girls use the hot springs. They've always talked about them, and had wanted to try them if they ever we restored."

"No, it's ok, Haruka. I don't mind. As long as I have prior warning, that is, and the tenants aren't around, they're welcome to use the hot springs anytime, seeing as they're friends of Naru. I mean, that is, friends of yours."

_(Because they're friends of Naru? hmmm.)_ "That's generous of you, Keitaro. I'll work out any scheduling with you beforehand. Now, go change and I'll tell you what I need you to help me with."

After Keitaro dresses, Haruka explains the situation in the garden. At first, Keitaro is a bit taken aback at the extent the girls were going to in order to capture him. But then, the humor of the situation allays his concerns for his safety. Agreeing to be blindfolded, Keitaro allows himself to be led to the garden.

The girls see Haruka approaching, guiding the now blindfolded manager with her. They breathe a tentative sigh of relief when Haruka shows them she also has an armload of robes for them. Haruka takes Keitaro to the rope holding the net, and tells him to brace himself as well as he can with his injuries. When he says he is ready, Haruka cuts the support, and Keitaro grunts in pain as the weight of the net starts to pull him towards the tree. Steeling himself, he digs his feet in and holds on with both his good arm and injured shoulder. Haruka gets to his side, and together they slowly lower the net to the ground.

The girls untangle themselves, and each one grabs a robe and covers themselves.

Haruka glances at them, and satisfied that nothing untoward is showing, tells Keitaro he can remove his blindfold.

Breathing heavily, he removes the cloth. Blinking at the light, he removes his glasses from his pocket and places them over his nose. He looks towards the girls, and before they can say anything, he bows "Please, accept my apologies. Both for today, and yesterday. I know you were just trying to protect your friend." Still bowing, he glances at Naru, and is about to continue.

Naru steps forward "No. Please. Let us apologize to you. No matter what it seems you did, we had no right to attack you, and" The self-preservation side of her brain sucks its thumb _Here we go again_ "I'd like to try starting over again, ah, again." She reaches her hand out to Keitaro.

Haruka steps forward, placing her hand on Keitaro's shoulder "I, uh, think we can hold off on that until we get you all properly de-skunked. I think introductions are in order for most of you."

While Keitaro busies himself preparing a late breakfast for them all, Haruka goes down to the Tea Shop to bring up a change of regular clothing for the girls. After a thorough and slightly painful scrubbing, they manage to remove the skunk odor from each other. Drying and dressing in the 'guys' room, they apply some perfume to be safe, even letting Shinobu and Su douse themselves a bit.

Naru, wearing her skirt and sweater combination, ponders, "What are we going to explain to Keitaro if he figures out we are really his tenants?"

Kitsune, in her purple shirt and khaki slacks, replies anxiously "If he finds out, I don't think we'll have a chance to explain. He'll evict the lot of us, and we'll be lucky not to spend the night in the Hinata Hoosegow!"

"We must take great care to not give any hint of our deception to Urashima. He has shown considerable leniency to our actions, but I hesitate to believe that would be extended to the level of lying we have been guilty of." Motoko, in her sword maiden clothing, points out. "We must take extra care to avoid any unnecessary conversation which could reveal our dishonesty."

Naru agrees, "The less we say, the better. Just enough for polite conversation, and that's it. Does everyone agree?"

Shinobu, Mutsumi and Kitsune nod. Su raises her hand "What's to happens if we says the wrong things anywaysits? Even in politicaliteness kinda talk, we mights slips up."

Motoko, in an amused tone "I think it would be safe to let Su do all the talking. She could not give up our secret if she tried. At least, not in a way someone unfamiliar with her speech patterns would understand."

Su, wearing her schoolgirl outfit, "That's oskie-doskies with me! I can talk the lot off K-man's earlobes alls day if ya gives me the chances."

Mutsumi, dressed in a flowing, ankle-length skirt, "Oh, my, but we should all at least try to be polite, of course. If we don't talk to him, he may think badly of us."

Shinobu, having dressed in her thigh-length shirt-skirt, "I want to talk to Sempai. He's always been nice to me, even if he thinks I'm a guy."

Naru, "Just keep it to the least you need to say."

Haruka walks in. "So, are you all ready for your trial by fire?"

Shinobu steps up to Haruka "D-does Keitaro need any help in the kitchen?"

"No, he's just about finished." sniffing "Hmmm, been getting into Kitsune's beauty kit, have you, Shinobu?"

"Aaauuuu! I-I was just trying to cover up any smell left over from the tiger trap."

Kitsune looks at Haruka, "How did ya'll know I let Shinobu use some of MY perfume?"

"The unmistakable scent of _'Jasmine's Delight of the Night'_ gave her away."

"Oh spit! I, uh, I think, Shinobu, we need to get ya'll washed up a bit and try a different scent."

Shinobu "But why? I thought it would be a nice one, being in such a small and pretty bottle."

Haruka, hand over her mouth to hide her smile, "That is Kitsune's, shall we say, special perfume."

Naru giggles "If Keitaro smells that, you're gonna need a stick to beat him off."

Mutsumi "Oh my, that's the same perfume my mother says she used to get father to marry her. She said it was like an afro-dizzy-actress or something like that."

Shinobu pulls the bottle from her pocket, and says in a tiny voice, barely audible "Sempai will be attracted to this? Aaauuuuu! I'm gonna pee!" As she opens the bottle to get another sniff, the girls close in on her to tease her a little more.

Suddenly, Keitaro's voice can be heard from the stairwell "Uh, excuse me but, Haruka, everything is ready whenever you all are."

Startled at the sound of the manager's voice, Shinobu yelps and accidentally tosses the tiny bottle into the air. As Kitsune leaps out to catch it, it bounces off her head, and some of its contents shower out over each of the girls.

Haruka, having backed away when they rushed Shinobu, avoids being sprinkled. Looking at the girls, she adjusts her cigarette holder and says "Well, is everyone ready for brunch? Seeing as you all smell the same now, it shouldn't be a big deal. I would advise against getting too close to Keitaro for a while, however. Poor guy is going to need a blood transfusion if you all aren't careful!" Laughing lightly, she turns and waits in the hallway.

Kitsune sets the now closed bottle on the shelf, and looks slyly at the others "Well, it'd take too long to try washing this out, so I guess we'all are just gonna have to live with it. But, just so ya'll know; In case anything happens, I got first dibs on some free rent."

Resigned to the situation, they all head for the dining room.

Keitaro has set places for everyone at the table. He hopes that Haruka gets the hint that, since only one plate and chair is set in the spot to the right of the manager's seat, she'll take it. Unfortunately, as she leads the girls into the dining room, she takes the chair at the far side of the table from his. Much to his dismay, all the girls move toward the seat closest to his. Tama-chan flying in circles over his head.

They all look at each other, embarrassed that they all wanted to sit closest to the manager. Kitsune smiles and queries "So, how are we'all supposed to settle this? There are too many of us for rock-paper-scissors."

Motoko grins, her hand on her sword "Perhaps we should fight for it."

Shinobu reaches to the table for a utensil and cries "That's not fair, all I have is a butter knife to fight with."

Mutsumi "I didn't bring anything to fight with, unless you say my melons are weapons."

Su "Hmm, my mecha-tamas against all of ya? Never thoughts of that. Might be fun." She pulls a remote control from somewhere and looks around excitedly.

Keitaro scratches the back of his head while he tries to think of a way to settle this before it gets out of hand. _(Fight for the seat closest to mine? W-why would they want to do that?)_ The smell of the perfume reaches his nose, and his head spins slightly.

Naru, grabbing the chair and sitting, glares at the others and says "No, I'll settle this. I shall sit next to Keitaro, because I know him from prep school."

Keitaro blushes.

Shinobu thinks _(Sempai's stock is rising!)_

Kitsune grins and mutters something about 'Oh-ho! The tigress is protecting her prey!'

Keitaro looks anxiously at Haruka, who helpfully (not) replies "Sounds ok to me."

The girls all sit down. Then, Mutsumi calmly walks to the other side of the table from Naru and slides her plate and chair over to the empty position on Keitaro's left and sits down. The others, not having thought of that, look at her with dark eyes. Mutsumi grins "Oh my, did anyone else want this spot? No? Then I shall sit here."

"W-well, I hope this isn't going to be a problem." Keitaro mutters, a weak smile on his face.

The girls, seeing the comedy of the situation and the effect it is having on the manager, all grin and giggle, defusing the tension in the room significantly.

Haruka "Well, since this has been settled, let's have everyone introduce yourselves. Mutsumi, let's begin with you. Keitaro, may I introduce Matsuka Otohime's sister, Mutsumi"

Mutsumi bows, "I am Mutsumi Otohime. I am 20 years old. I was born on Okinawa. I am trying to make it into Toudai. I like heated kotatsu tables, watermelon and turtles. I have a turtle named Tama-chan _(mew)._ My hobbies are studying, canoe rides, and dressing up." Keitaro _(dressing up? Isn't that the same thing her brother said?)_

Haruka, "Next is Shimura Konno's sister, Mitsune."

Kitsune bows, "I am Mitsune Konno. I am 20 years old. I was born in Osaka. Everyone calls me Kitsune 'The Fox'. I like sake, reading magazines, and having fun. My hobbies are free-lance writing and gambling." Keitaro _(a girl nicknamed Fox I can understand, but why does her brother have the same nickname?)_

Haruka, "And my right here is Muzuno Aoyama's sister, Motoko."

Motoko bows, "I am Motoko Aoyama. I am 16 years old. I was born in Kyoto. I am a twelfth generation sword master of the Shinmei-ryu School. I am a freshman in high school. I detest turtles. I wish to become the greatest master of the Shinmei-ryu School. My hobbies are practicing with my sword, meditation, and watching anime." Keitaro_ (She wants to be the greatest master at her school, too? I pity her brother, I get the feeling she's stronger than he is.)_

"On my left is Ramba Su's sister, Kaolla."

Su bows, "I am Kaolla Su, but ya'll can call me Su. I am 14 years old. I was born in my home country. I wanna rule the world someday. I'm a freshman in junior high school. I like bananas and turtles, stewed. My hobbies are inventing, having fun, and eating." Keitaro nervously thinks _(Rule the world. Wait a sec, that's what her brother wants! God, from what I've seen, if they ever work together, they just might, heh-heh.)_

"Next let me introduce Shinto Maehara's sister, Shinobu."

Shinobu bows, "I am Shinobu Maehara. I am 13 years old. I was born in Hinata City. I am a freshman in junior high school. I want to own a nice restaurant someday. My hobbies are cooking, cleaning, and stuffed animals." Keitaro, _(She and her brother both collect stuffed animals?)_

"And finally, although you've already met, here is Nabeshin Narusegawa's sister, Naru."

Naru bows, "I am Naru Narusegawa. I am 17 years old. I was born in Kanagawa prefecture. I am a prep school student and I want to go to Toudai. I received top scores in the nationwide practice entrance exam. My hobbies are shopping, studying, karaoke, and bowling." Keitaro tries to retain a brave face, and fails _(They BOTH got top scores? Oh god, I feel like twice the idiot now.)_

After everyone is finished, Keitaro shifts to find a more comfortable position for his ribs, and then introduces himself.

"My name is Keitaro Urashima. I am 19 years old. I was born in Hinata City. I am the owner and manager of Hinata-sou. I had hoped someday to try to get accepted to Toudai, but other things have come up in my life, and I have Hinata-sou to keep me occupied now. My hobbies are photo stickers, cooking, working with my hands, drawing, and writing."

With the introductions finished, they begin to eat the meal Keitaro prepared. While remembering how tasty his finger foods were, they are tentative to eat a cooked meal prepared by a man. To their delight, they find the meat is tender and well seasoned, the eggs are well flavored, the vegetables are crisp yet juicy, and the rice is light and fluffy. Their taste buds and noses are soothed from the skunk stench by the flavors and aromas from the meal.

They each pay Keitaro a compliment on his cooking abilities, while discussing general goings on. The girls are careful to avoid saying too much, for fear they might give away their deception.

The smell of the perfume gets stronger the longer they sit. Keitaro squirms in his seat after each compliment, hoping he can survive the ordeal.

Keitaro asks Naru "S-so, Nabeshin is your brother? I would never have guessed. You don't look anything like him. Are you step-siblings?"

Naru coughs, trying to avoid choking on her rice, and responds; "Uh, no, uh, we are full-siblings. That is, we have the same mother and father. But I do have a younger half-sister, her name is Mei."

"Ah, I have a younger half-sister too. Her name is Kanako. She wants to marry me when she gets older. She has since she was five years old."

Kitsune comments, "What? Oh, that is so cute; she must be like a little puppy following you around your parent's house. _'Marry me Kei-kun, marry me!'_ I'd love to see that"

Keitaro scratches his head "Well, that's what she wants. Since we aren't related by blood, there's nothing against it. But to me, she'll always be my little sister, nothing more."

Motoko "I suppose she is still just a young child to believe such things."

"No, actually she is sixteen years old."

Naru, "Sixteen! And she still says she wants to marry you?"

Mutsumi "Oh my, that is sweet."

Shinobu looks at Keitaro "But Sempai, t-that's not what you wish, is it?"

"Nah, it's like I said, she'll always be my little sister to me."

"That's good. I mean, that's a relief. I mean, I….Aaauuuuu!"

Keitaro, looking at all the girls, asks "Are all of you blood siblings? Now that I think about it, none of you resemble your brothers at all."

Haruka quickly interjects "Yes, they are all full-blooded brothers and sisters. Have been since they were born." _(God that sounded idiotic.)_

The girls groan inwardly at Haruka's comment, but Keitaro accepts it without question. "Oh. Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect you to be twins or something, I guess."

"Yes, when you see them side-by-side, they hardly look alike." she replies, knowing that could never happen.

"Oh, by the way, what time did you say their brothers would be back tomorrow evening?"

The girls give a start at Keitaro's comment, and look at Haruka.

Haruka _(Oh spit! I forgot I told Keitaro that the 'guys' were in Tokyo for the weekend)_

Mutsumi, playing along without thinking, says "Oh, Nabe-kun told me that they would return sometime late tomorrow, after dark. Probably after midnight or so."

Keitaro, "Ah, then I guess I can get a little work done on their room before they get back. It's still too drafty to be very comfortable."

Haruka "Keitaro, you are NOT supposed to exert yourself, and there is no way I'm going to let you risk your recovery, or Hikari will have my hide."

Naru, looking at Haruka, hoping she picks up on her plan, says "Keitaro, let us help you. We can work on the room for our brothers. You just tell us what needs to be done, and we'll be your hands. It'll be our way of apologizing to you, and to thank you for this excellent meal."

Haruka, seeing the opening Naru has provided, "That's a wonderful idea, Naru. And since your brothers won't be back until tomorrow night, Keitaro can let you all stay in their room so you can get an early start in the morning, as I'm sure you won't be able to finish the work in one afternoon. What do you think Keitaro?"

The others all agree, imploring Keitaro to let them do this for him.

Looking around the table, eyes like a deer in headlights, Keitaro tries to think of an excuse, ANY excuse, to counter their arguments. _(I nearly get killed just from a chance encounter. Kami only knows how I'd survive if they were actually staying here. And especially wearing that perfume!) _But, as he sees the looks in their eyes, a part of him says _(How can I say no to them? They all look so innocent and trusting, and seem like they really want to do this. I guess it'd make them happy to help their brothers.)_

"I, uh. That is, I, uh, uh, but you, uh, I mean.."

"Well, that's settled then. And so Keitaro doesn't feel he's overburdening you, he can let you use the hot springs, and provide meals for you, as compensation for your work. This should work out 

nicely, and I'm sure your brothers will appreciate the improvement when they return. Right Keitaro?" Haruka says, before Keitaro can object.

"Uh, yeah. Yes, of course. Sure thing, Aunt Haruka."

Keitaro finds himself on the receiving end of a large paper fan.

"That's just Haruka."

Relief spills over the girls as Keitaro accedes to Haruka's coercion.

The conversation continues, more lively, as the girls discuss with Keitaro the work involved with renovations, and how he managed to do so much, according to Haruka, by himself in just two weeks.

Keitaro assures them that the work isn't that hard, he enjoys it, and that when renovating you need to repair what needs it, do clean up, and perform general upkeep.

As they near the end of their meal, Shinobu, engrossed in the taste of her food, says "This is even better than the sandwiches and finger foods you served us, Sempai."

"Thank you, Shinobu; I'm glad you like it."

The others, with the exception of Mutsumi, glance up and around the table at each other. Haruka pauses to see if Keitaro will realize Shinobu's slip.

After a few moments, Keitaro looks up, wondering why the table has suddenly gone silent. "I-is something wrong? Is everything ok?" His short period of being comfortable around the girls quickly dissipates. No longer distracted by conversation, he again notices their perfume.

The girls, momentarily speechless at Shinobu's blunder, can only stare at him. Keitaro looks down to see if he spilled something on his shirt or anything, or worse, if they noticed that the effect of the perfume has returned. He looks up. Mistaking the looks in their eyes, he thinks _(God, they look like tigers about to eat their victim!)_

Naru, hoping to distract Keitaro from uncovering their secret, leans over with her napkin to dab a rice grain off his hand "Here, let me help you with that, Keitaro." Without thinking, she braces herself with a hand on his knee; at the same moment Mutsumi leans over, touches the back of Keitaro's other hand while leaning on his other leg and asks, "Would you like some of my ripe melons, Kei-kun?" Their hands on his legs, and the overpowering scent of their perfume, have a predictable effect on him.

Keitaro's glasses fog over, his eyes roll up into his head, and the girls hear a barely audible "gack!" as he falls backwards unconscious in his chair, blood gushing from his nose. Mutsumi 

and Naru, caught off-guard, overbalance and fall on top of the manager while each of them grasp the hand they are holding to their breast.

Motoko leaps to her feet and rushes to assist her friends and, as Kitsune pushes her chair back and stands, crashes into her, causing both to sprawl on top of Keitaro as well.

Shinobu cries "Aaauuuuu! Sempai's stock is definitely rising!" she leaps up to help him, and is bowled over as Su rushes in for what she assumes is playtime, knocking them both on top of the manager also.

Keitaro, regaining consciousness, feels the pile of warm bodies on top of him, their breathless faces inches from his, something soft in each of his hands _(bumpy things!)_, and the scent of their perfume more than he can stand. He whispers "gack", and he passes out once more.

Haruka glances at her watch, cigarette holder shifting in her mouth, and eyes the pile at the other end of the table, Keitaro's twitching right foot the only part of him visible; "Well, that took longer to happen than I would have thought."

After the embarrassed girls have climbed off the Keitaro, they carry him to the couch to recover. Leaving Su and Shinobu watch over the manager, Shinobu holding a cool towel on his forehead, and Su acting as lookout, the others go back to the dining room to clean up and discuss the situation.

Naru "Ok, Haruka, what are we supposed to do. Now we've got your nephew convinced that we are his 'tenants' sisters, and you've talked him into letting us spend the night here, since our 'brothers' are away for the weekend. What were you thinking?"

Haruka "I admit that part is my fault, but you didn't have many options. I had to tell Keitaro you 'guys' are in Tokyo for the weekend to explain why he found you 'girls' in the hot springs. What were you planning to do sitting around in towels like that if he walked in? What were you thinking?"

Kitsune "Spit! Ya know, Haruka's right. We weren't thinking. Even if we thought Keitaro was hiding again, we shoulda taken precautions.

Naru, haughtily "How were we supposed to know he would come out of hiding, anyways? We were just trying to wash up a bit while we decided what to do next. It's not like WE did anything wrong! Besides, what kinda pervert goes walking around an inn wearing nothing but a towel."

Haruka, glaring at Naru; "Firstly, Keitaro is the owner and manager of Hinata-sou, or do I need to remind you of that fact? His clothing was lying on a shelf in the changing room, so he did not 'walk around' the inn wearing only a towel. As for how long Keitaro may or may not have hidden, that is NOT the issue, Naru. He is not to blame for where this situation is at. Not one bit. So I don't want to hear one more comment from you trying to fault MY nephew for OUR 

deception and its ramifications. Do I make myself clear, Naru? Or would you all rather try finding other accommodations and leaving Keitaro in peace?" She crosses her arms and glares at the four older girls.

Kitsune, looking somewhat sad "Haruka's right, Naru. This is our fault for fooling Keitaro. I gotta admit, I'm feeling kinda crappy at what's happened to him in just three days because of us.

Naru stares at Haruka for a few seconds, and then lowers her eyes. "You're right. Haruka, I apologize, to you and your nephew. This is not his fault."

Mutsumi frowns "Oh my, Haruka-san, we do not mean to hurt Kei-kun. But, it seems that it is all that we do."

Motoko "As much embarrassment as it caused, we are indeed fortunate that this incident turned out as well as it did. We could have been, at this moment, trying to figure out what we were going to tell our families for being in jail for falsifying our identities for illegal gain by becoming tenants at what was clearly advertised as a 'male' dormitory."

Haruka smiles at them, then puts a hand on Naru shoulder; "Just remember that. He didn't ask for what we are doing to him, so give him the benefit of the doubt. Things could have been a lot worse if he had listened to your conversation BEFORE he tried to go to the hot spring."

Kitsune "Well, I feel a little better. But, we still haven't come up with a plan. What are we gonna do? Keitaro is bound to figure out we are lying to him sooner or later."

"And, as you have stated yourself, Haruka-san, he is uncomfortable renting to females. How can he be convinced otherwise?" Motoko asks.

Naru, looking at Haruka and thinking; "Well, Mutsumi and I have offered, as ourselves, to help Keitaro start studying for Toudai again. Seeing as we will probably be coming over most evenings, he'll get used to having females around a bit that way. We'll have to make up excuses for our 'brothers' getting in late every night, but I think we can figure out something believable."

Haruka "That won't be enough. However, I think today's events can work in your favor. If we make some excuse for you 'guys' to be gone every weekend, we can set up for you 'girls' to come over in their place, to use the hot springs and do some work around the inn. I'm sure we can easily get Keitaro to agree to that, and he'll get used to females being around the inn a lot faster."

The four older girls agree to Haruka's plan. Su and Shinobu call from the other room that they agree as well.

Kitsune decides that she can't let Naru and Mutsumi get all of Keitaro's attention during the week, so she starts planning on ways to happen to 'drop by' the inn when her 'brother' isn't around or after 'he' goes to sleep.

Motoko plans the same thing, as a way to get a better idea of what type of male Keitaro is where females are concerned, of course, and to provide protection (that's what she tells herself).

Since Su and Shinobu could overhear the conversation, they also, each on their own, decide to 'just drop by' during the week to visit Keitaro.

Meanwhile, although still unconscious, our hero is not entirely oblivious to the plans being made around him. A small drop of blood trickles from his nose as his right foot twitches.


	15. Chapter 15

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Fifteen – **

**Saturday late morning**

After Keitaro recovers, the girls help him upstairs to the 'guys' room. On the way, they swing by the manager's office and get his supply lists and notebooks. Keitaro then explains to the girls where he keeps the tools, what renovation supplies are stored in which annex buildings, and what safety equipment is needed and how it's used. He shows them the basics of using the tools, being careful to make sure they are aware of who is around them while working, so a swinging tool doesn't injure anyone. He explains workplace safety procedures and….

…After about another fifteen minutes, Su raises her hand. "Thems is all really cool safety tips, Keitaros, but hows did ya manage to scrapes your back with a ball-peen hammer?"

Keitaro, not really understanding the question, answers the best he can, "Well, through hard work, practice and discipline, you can accomplish the impossible."

Crickets chirp.

Mutsumi grins; "Like Toudai?"

Keitaro face-plants. As he rises…

Motoko snickers; "Or perhaps protection from self-injury?"

Keitaro face-plants again. As he rises…

Naru giggles; "Or girls?"

Keitaro face-plants a third time. As he rises…

Kitsune looks slyly at him; "Or maybe touching bumpy thin…"

Haruka intercedes, "OK, that's enough teasing poor Keitaro. However, I think a fifteen minute safety briefing is more than enough. After all, how many different ways can you explain how to safely use hammers, hand-saws, screwdrivers, rulers, and sandpaper?"

The girls grin at Keitaro, who scratches the back of his head "I-I just don't want anyone to get injured because of me. I'd really hate it if any of you were hurt."

The girls all shush Keitaro. Kitsune "Hey, we're all big girls. Well, except for Shinobu and Su, but they'll catch on fast. We'all can learn how to do stuff with our hands as long as ya'll show us how it's done."

Keitaro does a double-take at Kitsune's remark.

Naru continues; "Yeah. You're in charge, so you need to guide us in the way you want us to perform."

Keitaro ponders the multiple meanings of this statement.

Mutsumi, holding her melons, adds "Oh yes, we can take turns working hard underneath you."

Keitaro sputters at the implied multiple meanings of this statement.

Su says "Yeah, and I knows the front end of a banana from the underside. I think I knows my way around a tool."

Keitaro, well, you know.

Shinobu whispers "I don't have a lot of experience, but I really am eager to learn how to use your favorite tool, Sempai."

Crickets chirp.

Kitsune sniggers from behind her hand, her eyes brimming with laughter.

Naru coughs nervously, looking everywhere but at Keitaro.

Motoko blinks twice, as a slow blush rises from her cheeks.

Shinobu stares at the other girls and back to Keitaro.

Mutsumi polishes her melons as she pretends not to notice anything.

Haruka looks out the window as she adjusts her cigarette holder.

Su looks cluelessly from the girls to Keitaro, as she chews on a banana.

Keitaro tries to look cluelessly from girl to girl, and only manages with shaking hands to spill his tea on his shoes, his face blushing three shades of red.

Shinobu, realization coming to her about what they all just said, blushed three shades of red also, and "Aaauuuuu!" THUNK! faints to the floor where Kitsune cradles her until she recovers.

Motoko shakes herself, "Well, to continue. Y-You have been most thorough in your explanations, and will also be on-hand supervising us as we work. I anticipate no problems with you here to guide us."

"Keitaro, don't worry. I even brought up the first aid kit, just to be safe." Naru adds.

Keitaro thinks, _(That's what I'm afraid of! That it'll be needed, on ME!)_

Haruka clears her throat and says "Well, I see that you have everything in hand, Keitaro. Don't forget to let them take a break later for lunch. You don't want to run them into the dirt like a desert slave-driver, you know. I'll be back for dinner." She waves to the others and departs.

_(Slave-driver?) _Images enter Keitaro's brain as he zones out into one of his fantasies; Of him, dressed as Lawrence of Arabia, the girls working inside his tent in the desert, with him sitting on plush throw pillows…..and the girls clothed in silks and satins….

_Motoko stands over him, fanning the air _"We must see to the manager's, er, I mean the Master's comfort."

_Kitsune leans over and pours him a cool glass of sake from a tall flask_ "We must ensure the Master is not dehydrated."

_Mutsumi walks over to him, her melons in her hands _"Oh dear, I seek only to do my Master's bidding. Would you like to taste my melons, my Master?"

_Su and Shinobu prepare and serve dainties from trays carried by mecha-tamas, and adjust the pillows supporting his arm and ankle, _"We serves only da Master." "Semp-, I mean, the Master must be hungry. Please, eat and enjoy!"

_Naru walks over to him and leans over provocatively. She moves closer, closer, her mouth inches from his face. She moves slowly to the side, and he feels her breath on his ear. Her leg rubs against his, and she softly says _"Where would you like me to put this, my Master?"

_Keitaro whispers her name_, "Naru."

_She repeats the question, as he feels her holding him _**(holding him?)**"Where would you like me to put this?"_ (Oh my God, what is she trying to do? Wait a minute? I can feel her HOLDING me?)_

Keitaro's eyes snap open. Naru is standing in front of him, one hand holding a small serving table for his notebook and tea, the other shaking his shoulder. "Wake up. I said where would you like me to put this, Keitaro?"

"Gack!" Scratching furiously at the back of his head, he points to his good side, "O-oh, r-right. Sorry. Uh, you can just leave it beside the chair here, Narusegawa-san."

Naru puts the serving table down, and as she turns away she wonders;_ (Stupid baka was zoned out there for a minute. Why did he blush just because I brought him a table?...And why did he say my name like that?)_ Softly, unseen by the others, and almost unnoticed by herself, Naru smiles and blushes.

The girls, guided by Keitaro, manage to find and repair the loose boards where the drafts are located and oil the slides on the doors and windows. They replace the torn panels on the walls, and re-nail or replace the loose floorboards. They force Keitaro back to his chair every fifteen or twenty minutes, when he tries to get up to assist them with particularly difficult repairs, or correct an error they have made.

After being forced back to his chair five or six times, Keitaro decides to just keep notes on what he sees that needs better touch-ups or corrections, and to do them the next time the girls go to the hot spring, rather than tell them that they aren't doing some of the repairs correctly. _(As long as I fix it when they aren't around to see, I can let them claim responsibility for a job well done.)_

Motoko notices that the mistakes she had been noticing before are no longer being corrected by the manager. Not realizing that he is planning to correct them later, and not wanting to point out her friend's mistakes to him, she whispers to Naru that perhaps they should sneak up here early from the hot springs to 'clean up' their work, before Keitaro can come back tomorrow and fault them.

After a break for lunch, which Keitaro makes with Shinobu's help, they all sit down for a break. Keitaro mentions to the others that Shinobu really knows her way around a kitchen, and could teach him a few things about organization. Shinobu blushes. "Thank you, Sempai."

"Ah, now ain't that the sweetest thang. You made Shinobu blush, Keitaro." Kitsune teases.

Keitaro, scratching the back of his head, notices the others are rubbing their shoulders and wrists. Thinking he can work this in his favor, he says "You've done a lot of great work on your brother's room. But, I can tell you aren't used to using hand tools like this. Take a break, relax in the hot springs. I can imagine how your muscles are feeling right now."

Kitsune, being the ever naughty one, smiles, "Oh really, how do you imagine my muscles feel, Keitaro?" Loosening the top button of her blouse, she stretches her arms over her head, and leans back, the buttons stressed, "Do you think the exercise has made anything grow yet?"

Blood drips from Keitaro's nose.

"I, uh, that is I don't think so. I mean, I wouldn't know, since I haven't really looked, or …"

At that moment, the next button pops off Kitsune's blouse. Kitsune throws her arms around her exposed bra, and falls from her overbalanced chair. Keitaro grabs his nose as blood spurts out and he keels over backwards.

Kitsune kneels, her face white, except for massive shades of blush on her cheeks. She holds her blouse closed. "Ah didn't mean for that to happen! I mean it, I'm innocent. It wasn't mah fault!"

Motoko grins, "That sounds somewhat familiar."

As they assist Keitaro up , clean him, and help him to his room, the hear him mumble "pink with flowers, flowers on pink, pink with flowers…."

After making sure he is comfortable, the girls go to the hot springs.

Kitsune, recovering, smiles weakly "I guess Keitaro dreams of pink flowers when he's unconscious, huh?"

Naru snickers, "Nooo, I think it's because you were wearing your pink bra with the little flowers on the cross-over."

Kitsune blushes, "Oh spit. Well, at least I know what'll get me some free rent, now!" she says as she hefts her breasts. "Yay!"

Naru giggles, "Well, we wouldn't want you to completely give up your favorite pastime, now, would we? Just don't 'break him' as Su would say."

Keitaro awakens and, since he hears the girls in the springs, he quickly rises and heads to their brothers room. He makes some corrections, fixing a few misaligned floorboards, and re-adjusting some unlevel shelves. Wincing at his pain as the lifts the needed materials, Keitaro stops long enough to take his medicine out of his pocket, but can't find it (where did I leave my medicine? I ache, and I haven't had any all day.)

He shrugs his shoulder, and, checking his notebook to make sure he covered all the mistakes he noticed, he hurries back to his room, where he changes his shirt, and goes down to the kitchen to make some fresh tea and some light snacks for the afternoon's work. He waits in the common room for the girls to finish in the hot springs and return to their brothers' room to dress for their afternoon shift.

Motoko and Naru excuse themselves earlier than the other from the hot springs. After dressing in the common room, they quietly move upstairs past the managers room (unknown to them, Keitaro is already in the kitchen making tea). Entering their 'brothers' room, Motoko picks up a hammer to correct the first error she remembers that needs to be corrected.

She stops when she cannot see any fault in the nailing of that particular floorboard. Naru is just as confused when she goes to the window to correct a mistake there that isn't there anymore. Looking around, neither girl can see anything that was worked on earlier that needs to be corrected now.

Motoko "I am certain that I saw three floorboards that were uneven, as well as several ceiling panels. But all of them seem to be correct now."

"It's the same for me. I know this window frame wasn't even, because it was jamming. But look, it's straight as can be. Did I see it wrong?"

"Let us look at Urashima's notebook. I noticed he would write while watching us work. Perhaps he kept notes of the errors, and we just do not remember them properly."

Motoko open the notebook, flipping to the last pages with writing.

As she concentrates on reading the manager's notes, Naru looks at the other book. It is Keitaro's sketchbook. She notices he has drawn many pictures of people and places, some are quite good. She would never have guessed he was such an excellent artist.

Naru sees he has also drawn all of them working in the room. He captured the looks of contentment on their faces, understanding that they all really enjoyed doing such unfamiliar work. It gave them a sense of accomplishment working to restore this room.

The last page surprises Naru. It shows the girls dressed as desert women in a tent surrounding their manager. Giggling, Naru taps Motoko and shows her the individual drawings, flipping the pages slowly.

Motoko asks, "Why are you amused, Naru-san? These drawings show a remarkable degree of talent. Urashima-san can capture a person's mood, their very personality, their….oh my spirits!" After Naru starts laughing out loud, Motoko can't hold back and starts giggling as well.

Naru snickers, "Well, that explains why he was so quiet. You know, I think I look pretty good as a desert wanderer, and look, he even included your sword, although I doubt that's what he had on his mind."

Motoko "Hmmm, you remember that Haruka-san told him not to be a 'desert slave-driver'? I think we can thank her for this artistic 'fantasy' that resulted from that remark."

"You know, I think we need to make a copy of this drawing. It gives me an idea of how, someday, we 'slave-girls' can make it up to Keitaro for hiding our true identities." Naru giggles.

Motoko, a shocked look on her face "B-but, you could not expect me to dress like, I mean look at the, those are inappropriate for a sword-master." Then blushing, "Although, they do look comfortable and non-restricting."

The two share another laugh. Motoko says she can reach the nearest copier shop and be back in five minutes. After she returns, they take the copy of the drawing and hide them in 'Nabeshin's' suitcase for later.

Remarking on Keitaro's repairs, Motoko says "I had not realized how quickly he could work. And he also noted all the corrections I saw that were needed, plus several I didn't see. Yet, look around. There are no mistakes to be corrected."

Naru "There's a check mark next to each of those notes. Does that mean…?"

"It would appear that Urashima-san had the same idea as we did, but was able to accomplish his plans before we could."

Naru reviews the notebook, "But Motoko, some of these repairs couldn't have been done with only one good arm and leg."

"Urashima-san hasn't said anything about his pain. I suspect he may be over-using his medication to cover up his discomfort. We must make sure he has no occasion to do further injury to himself. I suggest that he not be left alone until he is ready to retire for the night. By that time, he will be too sleepy from his medicine to do any work while we are not watching. Perhaps we need to force him to use his hot springs to relax him enough to sleep all night."

They return to the hot springs, and request that the others hurry to change and meet in the common room area, where they discuss keeping Keitaro from overworking before returning to the room to continue working.


	16. Chapter 16

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Sixteen – **

**Saturday evening**

After having completed the main repairs that needed to be taken care of, they all prepare for dinner. The girls move the excess tools and materials into the hallway, and they wake Keitaro, who gets fresh bedding from the laundry. He swings by his room for his medicine since his ribs, shoulder and ankle are starting to hurt bad enough to distract him. After not being able to find the bottle, and not wanting to annoy Hikari on the weekend, he resigns himself to the pain and goes downstairs to prepare dinner.

The girls sit around the common room, quietly discussing their accomplishments for the day. Motoko and Naru explain what they discovered about Keitaro doing repairs, and they all agree to try and keep him distracted from doing any work around the dorm or prevent him from working at all.

**Dinner**

After fifteen minutes of polite conversation, Haruka asks Keitaro, "So, how has your work crew been doing?" The girls glance at Keitaro, worried that he is about to criticize their mistakes.

"Great. They are doing a great job. You'd never guess after the first half-hour that they've never done this kinda work before. I'm really proud of them."

"No problems at all?"

"After I pointed out how to do things, they were very good workers." Keitaro smiles broadly at them all. "You all did good work today."

The girls all blush. Kitsune, embarrassed at the praise, "Well, we'all have a good instructor." The Fox winks at the manager, "Keitaro can teach me anything, anytime. Yay!"

Everyone grins at the expected blush from the manager. Keitaro continues to praise the girls' work to his aunt, and blushes are again traded around the table.

"You are taking it easy, aren't you, Keitaro? No hard working?" Haruka asks.

Scratching his head, Keitaro says "Uh, yeah, sure. Well, mostly. That is, kinda……No."

"Keitaro, if you don't let those injuries heal properly, you'll end up in the hospital. Is that what you want?"

Naru, placing her hand on Keitaro's arm "You really need to take it easy." glancing at the other girls, she continues, "You just tell us what you wish of us, and we'll do it."

Keitaro blushes.

Mutsumi "Oh my, my melons are ready whenever you are."

Keitaro blushes, level two.

Shinobu "Aaauuuuu! Sempai must conserve his strength for later."

Keitaro 'Well, I-I don't want to keep you from.."

Su "I'm ready and roger wilco, over and inside-out. Point me towards danger, Azeem, I'm ready!"

Keitaro tries to make sense of that last remark. And fails.

Motoko bows, "You must be a strict taskmaster, Urashima-san. For the sake of your health, if nothing else. Direct us, and we will comply with your desires." Motoko winks at him.

Keitaro's left lens fogs over.

Kitsune, her hand on his left arm "We are here to obey, ya know. Just tell us what you want us to do with your tools." She blows him a kiss.

Keitaro's right lens fogs over. Blood trickles from his nose as his thoughts are of desert tents and slave girls.

Naru squeezes his other arm with both her hands "We are yours to command, Keitaro." She gazes into his fogged glasses.

Falling over backwards, blood gushes from his nose, and his right foot twitches.

Haruka "Well, that's one way to make sure he won't be in any condition to try working this evening." Raising their fists in triumph, the girls carry him to a couch, and Shinobu puts a cold cloth on his forehead.

Naru explains, "We apologize Haruka, but we noticed he was fixing our mistakes while we were in the hot springs. We know he's supposed to be taken it easy, and figured this was the safest way to, well, immobilize him for a little while."

This pattern continues, with Keitaro being rendered unconscious after every meal, for several weeks. The 'guys' staying in the dorms during the week, their 'sisters' staying over on weekends and helping out with the renovations while their 'brothers' are out on the town..

**One week later**

On a Saturday evening, Motoko comments to Haruka about how much Keitaro has been doing as he recovers from his injuries. "Urashima has done much, and may be over-using his medication. We have all agreed that some time in the hot springs would be beneficial for his recovery. As well as relaxing him enough so that he would sleep through the night."

Kitsune grins and rubs her hands together "I'll help ya'll get Keitaro ready ta go in the hot springs."

The girls drag her back. Naru grins, "No you won't. At least she is his aunt, and his family. You are single and short on rent money. Not a good idea to let you get anywhere near Keitaro alone."

While Haruka helps Keitaro prepare for the hot springs, the girls clean up the dishes, and then go to their room to put on bathing suits and towels, just to give Keitaro some company in the hot springs, and avoid possibly embarrassing incidents. Unfortunately, Naru and Kitsune forgot they hadn't bought any suits this last season, so they hope extra towels will provide sufficient coverage and protection.

Haruka joins them, saying Keitaro will be down in a minute, and she settles herself into the hot springs. She set her watch on the edge, and adjusts it for stopwatch mode.

A few minutes later, Keitaro can be heard calling "I'm in the changing room. Is it alright if I come out, or should I wait?'

Kitsune "Ya'll can come on out, Keitaro; there ain't nothing to worry about." Her hands placed where the edges of her towel meet in front of her, she moves towards the front of the hot springs, where she is intercepted by Naru.

Her arms crossed in front of her much like Haruka, Naru says, "Need I remind you that neither you nor I have bathing suits on? Now, sit over there." She points to the foggiest part of the hot springs.

Meanwhile, Keitaro opens the door to the springs. As he steps out, he sees Kitsune walking to the far end of the springs. Glancing, he sees Naru pointing in the direction Kitsune has gone. "Is everything ok?" He asks. As he steps up to the edge of the springs, he steps awkwardly on his bad ankle, and it collapses under his weight. He lunges forward, the pain making him gasp

Naru turns just as Keitaro loses his balance and falls over the edge. As he starts to put his arms out, the pain in his left shoulder makes him pull his arms back reflexively. He goes into the water head-first and hits the bottom hard enough to see stars, his towel coming loose from his waist.

The impact knocks the air out of his lungs, and the sudden constrictions strain and then break his bruised rib, forcing him to involuntarily exhale and then inhale. He struggles to reach the surface or regain his footing, but hitting his head, the pain and taking a breath full of water into his lungs has distorted his bearings. By the time Naru, laughing at his clumsiness, reaches him and pulls his head up, his breathing reflex has already started to spasm. His fist closes on her towel, and he accidentally pulls it off her as he struggles to breathe.

As the other girls move towards him, Naru yells, "Keitaro, you clumsy idiot!" Realizing that not only she is now naked, but so is Keitaro, Naru looses it.

A vein throbbing in her temple, she rears her fist back and prepares a Naru-Punch. She pauses when she realizes he is making no attempt to say anything or evade her hit. She looks at him, the panicked look in his eyes meets hers; she sees his hand at his throat, his face and lips turning blue, and hears the gurgling noise as his body fights to breathe. She opens her fist and her hands go to her cheeks. She screams as she sees water ooze and bubble from his nose and mouth. As his eyes slide upward into his skull, he collapses.

Heedless of her nudity, Naru reaches out to pull Keitaro's unconscious body to her, and yells "Aaaeeeiii! Keitaro! Keitaro! He's not breathing!" She struggles to get him to safety. Numerous hands reach to help drag the two to the edge of the hot springs and onto the rocks.

Haruka presses her head to her nephew's chest. "His heart's beating but he isn't breathing! Kitsune, get Hikari here NOW!" The Fox rushes into the dorm to call the doctor.

Rolling Keitaro to his side, Haruka tells Naru to support his head. She places her legs under his head and holds his face as Haruka smacks his back, trying to get him to cough up the water he has breathed in. Motoko kneels beside Haruka and starts massaging pressure points on Keitaro's back to encourage his heart to continue beating until they can restore his breathing. Shinobu rushes out of the changing room with extra towels, while Su stands beside Naru motionless, worry written on her face. Mutsumi takes the towels from Shinobu and lays them across Keitaro's nakedness.

After a few back hits, Keitaro coughs, expelling water over Naru's legs. To her dismay, there are traces of blood in the liquid coming from his lungs "He's bleeding! Oh Kami-sama, he's bleeding!" Keitaro starts shaking weakly as his lungs struggle to pull in air. Kitsune returns "Hikari's on her way! Shinobu, Su, let's go wait for her at the stairs!" Kitsune takes the two youngest residents by their hands and rush to escort the doctor when she arrives.

"Hold him Naru, just hold him! Mutsumi, hold his legs, Motoko, help me turn him slowly onto his back. Naru, keep his head turned to the side in case he coughs up more water. We just need to keep him warm and breathing until Hikari gets here!"

Keitaro shaking eases as his semi-conscious body starts to take in oxygen again. Color returns to his face and lips, and he starts trembling, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but breathing nonetheless. Haruka pulls the towels so they cover most of his body. The girls gather their towels back as Naru covers herself.

A few minutes later, Hikari comes rushing to the group; Kitsune, Shinobu and Su close behind her. As she kneels, they explain how Keitaro slipped, hit the edge, and went head-first into the hot springs and swallowed so much water.

As Hikari examines him, they notice that his breathing has become more regular, but still slightly labored. After a few minutes, mumbling to herself as she tenderly probes his chest and listens to his lungs and heart, she pulls out her cell phone and calls the Hinata Clinic to request an ambulance.

"Is it that serious, Hikari?" Haruka asks.

Hikari nods her head. "I'm afraid so. He still has a significant amount of water in him and appears to have broken his bruised rib when he fell, possibly lacerating his left lung. And considering his already weakened condition from his other injuries, any pulmonary infection could proof life threatening. I'll know more after I get him to the clinic."

Naru, worry evident on her face, "But, but how long will he have be there? I mean, when will he be well enough so we can see him? I mean, since we can't can we take care of him here at home?" The others all nod in agreement with Naru's comment. Haruka, despite the situation, notes how the girls already consider Hinata-sou a home and not just a dorm.

Hikari "Normally, I'd like to keep a near-drowning patient for twenty-four hours. But, considering all his other injuries, I would like Haruka's permission to hold him for at least that long, perhaps longer, to let him rest and heal as he should." Haruka nods her agreement. Hikari give him an injection for his pain and to make him sleep.

"Can we visit Keitaro? I'll bring him lotsa bananas, thems good fer what ails ya!" Su asks.

All they girls express their desire to visit the manager. Hikari tells them to let him get some rest first, and she will let them know later how to proceed.

After some anxious minutes waiting, the ambulance arrives, and the crew carefully place Keitaro onto a gurney.

As he is being moved, his eyes open slightly and he looks around. He tries to reach up, but is held down by both Haruka and Hikari.

Shinobu grabs his right hand and places it over her heart as she and the other girls walk beside the gurney to the ambulance. As they prepare to load him onto the ambulance, Keitaro surprises her by slowly opening his eyes and smiling up at them. Her chest suddenly tightens and warmth flushes her face, her relief shared by the others as they see Keitaro look at them. The injection then kicks in, and Keitaro sinks into unconsciousness.

**Later**

Haruka gets off the phone. She turns to the girls "Well, that'll take care of some matters for now. Since Keitaro is not going to be able to manage the inn for some time, I've called in a temporary replacement for him. She'll be here tomorrow just before lunch."

Motoko "Who have you called to stand-in for Urashima?"

"Much as I'd rather not, I called the only other person who knows Hinata-sou well enough to act as the manager. Keitaro's sister, Kanako."

Naru "Y-you really don't mean her, do you? Keitaro told us she wants to get married to him! Is it even a good idea to get her under the same roof with him?"

Kitsune, her hands making like a clawing cat, "Ah, the she-tiger prepares to defend her prey from being stolen from her, meowrowr!"

Naru places her hands on her hips and blushes at Kitsune "It's nothing like that. I-I'm just concerned how she'll treat Keitaro while he's recovering."

Haruka "Kanako and I don't get along, so don't expect to see me up here much. However, she is the best one to manage Hinata while Keitaro is incapacitated." Thinking for a moment "In fact, this can work in my favor if you play along right. Kanako prides herself on her annoying ability to disguise herself when she is trying to 'snoop around'. You all can keep her in line if you manage your 'brothers' correctly. If you know what I mean." Haruka winks with a grin.

Kitsune grins and says "I thinks our brothers gots themselves a new playtoy!"

Su smiles "Hey, dems my lines! And don't forgets yer bananas."

Naru snickers "I wonder if she likes the 'brainy' type?"

Motoko lifts her sword, a trace of a smile on her face, "I believe my big stick will be a threat to her confidence."

Mutsumi holds her melons in her hands. "Oh my, can I play the mommy, er, I mean daddy?"

Shinobu stands and twirls, "M-maybe I can wear my kilt again."

Haruka tilts her head, "You know, 'Shinto', that might be a good idea. Anything to keep her off balance will also help when you confront her as your normal selves."

Naru thinks and then giggles at the others, "I think Keitaro's sister Kanako is going to have an interesting time with our 'brothers'."


	17. Chapter 17

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

**Chapter Seventeen – **

**Saturday afternoon through night**

Haruka decides to let the 'guys' select what rooms they want as their own, and start doing repairs. The girls group together and make emergency repairs, one room at a time, so they are at least livable. Then they move their belongings in, including the stuff from storage, leaving all but a few changes of female clothing with Haruka.

They carefully arrange their male clothing with their normal clothing, just in case Kanako does an inspection of the rooms; the appearance of any female clothing will build on the deception that the 'sexually-orientation' of the male tenants is questionable.

After cleaning up the inn, the girls strategically place items donated by Haruka around the dorm for Kanako to 'discover' as she settles in as the temporary manager.

Some padded handcuffs shoved under cushions in the common room.

A few studded dog collars with 'I Love My Master' tags on them in the kitchen drawers.

Three or four pairs of leather male underwear dropped beside one of the washers.

Assorted leather whips hanging behind a robe in the changing room to the hot springs.

When Kitsune slyly asks "Hey, Haruka-san, where'd ya'll get all these interesting items, huh?" the answer she receives is a slap to the back of her head and Haruka saying, "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Naru claims the room above the manager's office. She had noticed the floor had a temporary cover, and she realizes she can use that as a vantage point to watch over Keitaro when he comes back to finish his recovery, protect him from Kanako, and to keep an eye on his possible perverted ways.

Kitsune claims the room next door to his, just in case Kanako gets out of hand. Motoko says, "I think Kitsune has other hands doing other things in mind in her selection of the room right next to Urashima's."

Kitsune responds by blushing slightly, replying "Well, no one else claimed it, so there!" she sticks her tongue out at the sword master, and then grins, a gleam showing from her nearly-closed eyes.

Motoko takes a room two doors down from Naru, leaving some space so she'll have more peace to meditate. Plus, being equal distance from the front and rear stairs, she can more rapidly move downstairs if her assistance and/or sword are needed.

Mutsumi takes the first room on the other side of Naru, after the honey-haired girl refuses to let her claim half of the manager's room. "Oh my, I only thought that Kei-kun would need someone to stay with him after he comes home from the hospital." Naru replies, "We can do that well enough without sleeping in the same room, Mutsumi." The Okinawan smiles and says, "Oh, I wasn't too worried about sleeping. I merely hoped to be available in case Kei-kun wants to try my melons!"

The girls look at Mutsumi. "Sometimes, girl, Ah ain't sure if ya'll mean melons or _'melons'_ when ya'll talk about Keitaro like that." Kitsune says, eyeing the melon lady.

Mutsumi smiles and blushes.

"Well, what do you mean, Otohime-san?" Motoko asks.

Mutsumi smiles and blushes.

"Mutsumi!" Naru yelps.

Shinobu blushes three shade of red, and Su just looks from one girl to the next. "I don't gets it!" She says, peeling another banana, "It ain't like she wants ta shares a banana withs Keitaros, ya know." THUNK!

Everyone face faults. Shinobu faints.

Su takes the first room on the third floor at the top of the stairs, saying "I likes the climb ta gets there, and I can builds up more speed heading down the stairs when Shinobus calls us fer meals!"

Shinobu chooses the first room on the second floor, saying to the others, "That way, I can start meals sooner." And to herself _(Any closer to Sempai's room might seem suspicious. Aaauuuuu!)_

**Sunday Morning**

Shinobu whips up breakfast for the girls, who go over their plans with Haruka once more before Kanako arrives. Haruka gives them a word of advice: "If you hear a bell, that means Kanako's cat is nearby, and may be spying on you. However, the cat is easily swayed, with treats or threats, but will always be true to Kanako when push comes to shove."

"Ah think some good-cop, bad-cop will do the trick with Kanako's little partner." Kitsune says with a wicked gleam in her eye. "The 'guys' can scare a couple of lives out of her, and then we girls can come to her rescue. She'll be eating outta the palms of our hands!"

Su "And we can gets Tama-chan ta be our eyeses and noses to keep track of da little kitty-litter-box user."

Naru, looking at Haruka, asks "Haruka, how is Keitaro doing? When can we visit him?"

Haruka adjusts her cigarette. "Hikari called this morning, Keitaro is resting much better. He should be home by Friday, Saturday at the latest. She says he's healing remarkably well, considering he's always been quick to get over illnesses and things." Blowing a puff of smoke, she looks at the girls and says, "Humph, Hikari thinks it must be something in the water here. He'll be well enough for general visitors tomorrow."

**Sunday noon**

At lunch time, Kanako arrives at the Tea Shop where she is greeted by Haruka.

The goth-like girl removes her wide-brimmed hat and, shaking her long dark hair lose, glares at the older woman. "I can't say it is a thrill to see you again, Haruka, especially under the circumstances. How is it that no one can take care of my oni-chan when I am not around?"

"Kanako, you know as well as I that Keitaro has always been accident-prone, so don't get all high-and-mighty with me. The tenants are waiting up at the inn to meet you, so I suggest we don't keep them waiting." Haruka says gruffly.

Kuro looks up at Kanako, "She's right, you know. You do have a tendency to misinterpret situations most of the time. Meow"

Turning slowly to look down at her, Kanako replies "And I suppose if I have the 'tendency' to tie you up by your tail and use you as a dart board, that would be more acceptable to you?"

"Meow Meow! No, I was mistaken. You can do whatever you want, you're never wrong. Please, feel free to interpret as you will!" _(Oh Kami-sama, where's the writer when I need to get my foot outta my mouth?)_

Haruka, "Humph, I always said you were a scaredy-cat, Kuro."

Kanako, rolling her eyes, replies, "Well, I suppose there is _one_ thing we agree on, Haruka."

Haruka escorts Kanako up to the inn, where the tenants wait in the common room to meet their temporary manager.

When Haruka and Kanako enter the front door, everyone stands and bows. Kanako unsuccessfully hides her disgust at the style of clothing the tenants are wearing. She manages a respectable bow.

Determined to take control of the situation from the beginning, she states, "Greetings. My name is Kanako Urashima. I will be your manager while my brother is incapacitated. I trust that you will restrain yourselves from causing any more problems while I am here."

Motoko takes the lead for the girls. Gritting her teeth at Kanako's attitude, she remembers their plan and smiles, "Hello Urashima-san. I am Muzuno Aoyama. I am pleased to meet the sister of Keitaro-kun, pardon me, Keitaro-san. I am sure we will find no fault in your management, as your brother has spoken highly of you in the past."

_(Keitaro-_**kun**_?)_ "Keitaro spoke of me? To you?" Kanako responds angrily at Motoko's apparent slip, her eyes glaring at the taller girl.

Naru steps forward, hoping to keep Kanako distracted. "Yes, Kei-Kei has spoken most highly of you."' Rubbing her chin and tilting her head, she continues. "Although, he didn't tell us that you're such a smart dresser! Tell me, where do you buy your clothes?" Wagging her hands in front of her, Naru blurts "Oh, my pardon, Kanako-san. My name is Nabeshin Narusegawa. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I am sure we will have much in common to discuss together." She manages to play out her part, despite seething inwardly at Kanako's demeanor.

Kanako struggles to regain control of the conversation, "As your kanrinin, it would not be proper for us to cultivate anything other than a manager/tenant relationship."

Kitsune steps forward, adding her statement while winking at Kanako "I am Shimura Konno. Now, Kanako-san, ya'll can't be a manager 24 hours a day. Besides, when Kei-kun comes back, Ah shall volunteer to be his care-giver, as Ah can be near him 24 hours a day to allow ya'll to perform your duties." She says, grinning from ear to ear as she bows a deep, respectful bow.

Kanako, believing she understands Kitsune's comment, answers gratefully, "That would ease my mind a great deal, Konno-san. So, you have had medical training?" she asks, thinking there may just be a responsible tenant out of this unlikely bunch.

Smiling while holding her hands behind her back, Kitsune says, "Well, not exactly. Ah'm a free-lance writer. But Ah like playing doctor. And Ah can give Keitaro great sponge baths, if ya'll know what Ah mean." the Fox winks slyly.

Kanako stares, unable to form a reply. Mutsumi steps forward and places a hand on her shoulder, "My name is Matsuka Otohime. I am pleased to meet you." Kanako turns to stare at the Okinawan, gathering much from her first impression. _(Oh, great, now a brain-dead dip! What next?) _

"Otohime-san." She says, giving her a tiny bow. After several seconds of Mutsumi just staring at her, the strain becomes taut. "Was there anything else, Otohime-san?" Kanako asks.

Placing her hand on Kanako's cheek, she asks, "Oh no. I was just admiring your eye makeup. Where do you shop for your skin-care supplies?"

Kanako, confused and starting to become flustered, jerks when she feels a pair of small hands on her left arm. Turning around, she looks down to see the two youngest tenants of the dorm.

"Heya's. I'm Lamba Su, you can calls me Su. This is my buddy Shintos Maehara. He likes cooking for the K-man." Staring intently at Kanako, she continues, "You're kinda pretty. Well, for a girl, that is." Su says, winking at Shinobu and pulling her forward to stand in front of the disoriented manager.

Shinobu looks up at Kanako's face and says, "I w-was thinking the same thing, Kanako-sempai. It's a shame you aren't Sempai's real sister, you don't look at all like him. H-he's c-c-c-cute." Shinobu blushes. _(I said Sempai is cute! I think I might pee!)_

Haruka, arms crossed, steps to Kanako's side and addresses the tenants. "I think that's enough introductions. I will show Kanako to her office so she can get settled in." Taking Kanako's arm, she picks up the young girls' suitcase and leads her up to the manager's office.

Kuro, having been extremely quiet and still after her first glance at the tenants, shivers as they all turn towards her. "Meow? Uh, hi."

The girls stare at the cat. Haruka never mentioned anything about the cat speaking. Naru struggles with this new twist as she tries to think of what to do next.

Unflinching, Su runs forward and kneels in front of Kuro, picking her up and peering into her eyes. "A talking kitsy-catsy! I just gottas figure out hows Kanako does such a greats ventrilamist trick!" Setting the cat down, she scratches behind her ears, causing the cat to purr ecstatically.

Regaining her composure, Naru walks forward, bends down to scratch the cat's ear. Glancing quickly at Kitsune and the other, she nods and says sarcastically, "Oh, what a cute cat. So, you're friends with that girl, Kanako, huh?"

Kuro nods, curling into Su's grasp as her other ear is scratched. "Yes I am, meow."

Kitsune steps forward tentatively and leans over the feline. "Y-ya'll known her long, huh?"

Another nod from Kuro as she rolls over onto her side on Su's lap. "We've been together some time now, meow."

Mutsumi, her hands crossed much like Haruka, stands in front of the black cat. "So, you're really good friends with her?"

Kuro nods again feeling more relaxed "She depends on me for many things." Deciding to beef-up her status, she says "I'm her right-hand cat, meow!"

Su asks, "You like games?"

A sigh escapes the cat's mouth "Oh my yes, meow! Although, Kanako doesn't have much time to play games with me, meow."

Shinobu, seeing where the others are going with their questions, asks, "You like tuna?" as she holds a spatula in one hand.

Kuro's eyes brighten as she nods, "Meow, oh yes, very much, thank you, meow!"

Motoko, sensing the moment is right, springs the trap, "And you like spying for Kanako-san?"

"All the time, meow. Why, once Kanako had me check on some girls that were picking on Keitaro, meow, and I had to, uh, check out whether, uh, that is,……uh oh." Kuro looks around at the stern looks the 'guys' are now giving him. "meow?"

"Uh, I mean, no, meow, not really. As a matter of fact, meow, never. I would never, ever, ever…Oh spit, meow!"

Crickets chirp.

Su "I thinks I needs to experiment on this talking kitsy catsy. Maybe I can gets some brain samples to sees what makes it tic-toc."

Naru uncrosses her arms and grabs hold of Kuro's collar to prevent her from running. "Too late, you dirty snitch!" Looking at the others, she plays up the act, "Like I always said guys, cats can't be trusted." Turning to Shinobu, Naru leers wickedly and says "Hey, Shinto, I think there might be a change to the dinner menu tonight. You can un-tie that turtle in the kitchen; we just found a replacement main course."

Shinobu nods and rushes into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returns with Tama-chan tied to a soup ladle. After being released, the turtle flies to hide behind Kuro, "Myuh, myuh, myuh, myuh!"

Kuro gulps "Steamed?" Tama nods and adds "Myuh, myuh myuh." Kuro puts a paw to her mouth and gulps loudly. "With sauce?" Tama just nods. "Meow!

With all the doors and windows shut, Kuro sees that there is no way out.

As the tenants converge on her, the cat does what she does best. She steps boldly to Naru and, hoping to hold her bladder under control, says, "H-hey, now hold on, meow. I'm on your side. Always have been, even though we just met, meow. You can count on me, boss, er, bosses, meow! I'll do you right! You guys are all straight, uh, well, shooters in my book, meow! Kanako? Fegh! I'm just along as comic relief, meow! You show me the way, guys, I'm ready, meow! We gotta stick together, you know! Meow?" Cringing in fear, Kuro struggles weakly to get loose from Naru's grasp, to no avail.

Naru, still kneeling next to Kuro, glances at Motoko, who nods. "Little snitches really piss us off. We agreed to Kanako coming here as our temporary manager, but there's nothing that says we have to put up with a filthy little spying cat. Besides, I hate cats." Naru balls her left fist so hard her knuckles crack. Kuro glances from side to side, wondering where the heck Kanako is.

Motoko, pulling her sword out, steps forward. "Leave that vile animal to me, Nabe-kun. I shall see to it that its end comes swiftly and silently." Kuro's head turns in the sword masters' direction, her eyes wide. "S-swiftly, meow?" Kuro whispers.

Kitsune snickers and adds, "Don't ya'll hog all the fun, Muzuno-san! It's been a while since Ah had a biology class, but Ah think Ah remember how to dissect little toads like this." If cats could pale, Kuro's fur would have changed from black to pure white by now. "D-dissect, meow?" Kuro repeats.

Seeing Naru nod at her, Shinobu rushes forward and grabs Kuro from Naru's hands, backing up towards the dining room door. "No, please don't eat her! She's an adorable little kitty! I like her." Kuro clings to Shinobu's arm while clenching her eyes shut.

"imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie, meow!" Kuro whimpers.

The others step forward, still appearing intent on performing mayhem on Kuro. Motoko mutters, "Shinto-chan, you know as well as I that Nabe-kun dislike cats with a passion. Give the animal to me so that I may dispose of it." she says, holding one hand out.

"Yeah, let's just get rid of that flea-trap and be done with it. Su can do whatever he likes with the body when we're done." Naru says, an evil gleam in her eyes.

Kitsune rubs her hands "Sake, sake! Ah think this calls for a celebration drink!"

Shinobu stands her ground at the door to the dining room. "N-no! If I keep the kitty away from Nabeshin-sempai, wouldn't that be okay? I'll let her stay with me when she isn't with Kanako-sensei." she suggests.

Pausing a few steps from Shinobu, the others look at each other. Naru nods her head, "Well, if that cat stays out of my way, I suppose that'll be okay. Besides, it'd be a bother having to clean up after Muzuno again."

Motoko looks at Naru, "I shall have you know, my technique is clean and flawless! It is that sake-driven Shimura-san that cannot cut a straight line."

"Why would ya'll wanna deprive us of some fun, Shinto?" Kitsune asks, grinning wickedly as she raises a glass to Motoko.

Su steps up and looks at Kuro, who senses the attention and dares a peak. "Wells, I guess I can always practices my experiments on that turtle if we catches her again." she says, frowning slightly. "Besides, she is kinda cutesies, when ya looks at her."

"Oh, alright then. Here's the deal. That cat stays out of my way, I can live with it. But if she ever gets in my path, she's history." Naru says, "If she's not with Kanako, she has to be with Su or you, Shinto. But she'd better stay out of things if you take her in the kitchen. The last thing we want are cat hairs in our meals."

"A-as you wish, Nabeshin-sempai! I'll make sure the kitty stays away from you. I'll keep a window open so she can go outside while I am in the kitchen. That way, she won't make any, uh, messes." Shinobu assures them.

Motoko raises her sword again. "Acceptable. However, if that cat is seen anywhere it should not be, or not in the presence of yourself, Su-chan or Urashima-san, the end shall come swiftly!"

Shinobu hugs Kuro closer to her chest. "I p-promise. And you promise, too, right S-Su?" the young cook asks.

Su nods "Sounds fairiness to me. I likes kitsy catsies." Su scratches Kuro behind the ear, encouraging a small but relieved purr from the frightened feline.

Naru harrumphs as she turns and walks back to the common room. "Whatever. I'm going to have some tea, I need to settle my stomach." She winks at Kitsune and Motoko while motioning to Mutsumi. "I think you and Su had better take that, that thing, into the kitchen. I suppose you'll have to give it some milk or whatever."

"Yes Nabeshin-sempai. We'll take care of her." Shinobu replies, turning to take Kuro into the kitchen, followed closely by Su.

Kuro, however, decides to get while the getting is good.

"Uh, uh, uh excuse me, meow, but I think I hear Kanako calling me, I'd better go, meow, she gets upset if I don't come when called, please, meow, don't bother yourselves, I can find my way, just upstairs, no problems, meow, I'll be going now, just wanted to say thanks for being understanding and all that, meow, I'm babbling, now, aren't I, meow?" Kuro hops out of Shinobu's arms.

Staring, the girls watch the cat fly up the stairs.

"Ooooh, a flying kitsy-catsy! I just gotta study her!" Su yelps, clapping her feet while standing on her head. Tama flies to Naru and gets a rice cake as reward for an acting job well done. "Myuh!"

"Oh my! That was very well done, Shinobu-chan. I must insist you have some of my melons." Mutsumi declares.

Motoko, observing that Kuro has definitely departed the area, turns to Shinobu. "That was excellently done, Shinobu-chan. Considering our surprise at that cat speaking, you played the part of 'good cop' extremely well, indeed!" Motoko praises the young cook.

Naru nods as she places a hand on the younger girls shoulder. "If I didn't know better, I'd've sworn you meant every word, Shinobu." She smiles at her.

Kitsune agrees, saying "That was one heckuva acting job, ya'll almost had me convinced along with that furball."

Looking from one girl to the other, Shinobu shivers and replies "Y-you were j-just kidding? You m-mean th-that was just an act? Aaauuuuu!" THUNK! Shinobu hits the floor in a dead faint.

Su looks down at her unconscious friend. Turning her attention to the four older tenants, she asks, "We was just plays-acting with that kitsy-catsy?"

Four sets of jaws drop as Su wanders into the kitchen in search of a banana.

**Meanwhile, upstairs**

Haruka, having placed Kanako's suitcase on the dresser, turns to the interim manager, who is still standing just inside the entry to the manager's room. "Well, I have to be going. I still need to serve lunch at the Tea House. I'm sure you'll survive, I mean, do well."

Putting her hand on Haruka's arm to keep her from leaving, Kanako states "Those guys are perverts! Even I can see that after just one meeting. How could Keitaro ever agree to let anyone like that be tenants in Hinata-sou? How could you allow it?" Kanako glares at Haruka.

Eyeing Kanako, Haruka responds "I personally vetted those tenants, and if you'll look through Keitaro's notes, you'd see he approved of each and every one of them. If you feel his decision is in error, you are welcome to discuss it with him later this week after he comes back. Until then, I suggest you do your job and don't embarrass Keitaro by screwing up what he's started here!"

"Why you arrogant, trumped up tea server! I would never do anything to hurt Keitaro-kun, and you know that better than anyone. I at least can put my personal feelings aside and be a responsible and respectable manager. You needn't worry about that. As this is only a temporary situation, I will do my job during the day. I shall take an apartment downtown so as not to give the impression of impropriety by having a female manager living under the roof of an all male dormitory after business hours." Kanako shudders slightly. _(Besides, I'm afraid they really would want to trade make-up tips with me!)_

"Just so we understand each other. If, in the unlikely event you need anything, please hesitate to call me." Haruka says testily and leaves to return to the Tea Shop.

Kanako seethes, _(I'll show that Haruka. There isn't any way I'll let her or those tenants keep me from doing a job that'll make my dear brother notice and be proud of me. I'll just ignore the fact that they are the most feminine guys I've ever met and…Oh no!)_ Kanako sits down at the desk and stares back at the closed door. (_They couldn't be! But then, they did call Keitaro '_Kei-Kei'_ and '_Kei-Kun'_! Oh no! Keitaro! You haven't turned to the dark side; Have you, my dearest brother?)_

Kanako slumps at the desk as Kuro flies into the room. She grabs the cat out of the air, holding her close so she can look her face-to-face. "Kuro, I need you to keep an eye on those guys. They just aren't the kind of people I need close to Keitaro. You stay here at night; I need you to be my eyes and ears. I absolutely can't stay in an all male dorm at night. I'm afraid those guy might want to practice makeup techniques with me!" Kanako shudders at the thought.

Kuro answers, "It will be as you command, Kanako-san, meow. I do not fear them, meow! I will be as a shadow amongst their vile ways, meow, and together we shall overcome them, meow!" To herself, Kuro thinks, _(Better not let Kanako know those guy scare the catnip outta me!)_

Looking at the cat, Kanako's eyes narrow slightly. "Why are you suddenly so brave?" she asks suspiciously.

Putting as much confidence in her voice as she can muster, Kuro replies, "That's my job, meow. And I like Keitaro too, you know, meow."

Standing slowly, Kanako looks at Kuro and nods. "Very well. I will work from eight in the mornings until three in the afternoon on weekdays. Stay here when I have left for the day and keep an eye on those, those, gentlemen." Kananko says sarcastically. "I shall arrange for Shinto to provide meals for you."

After several minutes going over some folders left on the desk, there is a knock on the door to the manager's room. Kuro steels herself.

Kanako turns and calls out, "Yes, who is it?"

"Pardon me, Kanako-san. It's Shinto Maehara. I came up to tell you that lunch will be ready in ten minutes." Shinobu says through the door.

Relaxing a bit, Kanako answers "Thank you, Maehara-san. I shall be down shortly."

"Hai, of course, Kanako-san." Shinobu heads downstairs to prepare lunch.


	18. Chapter 18

**Love Hina – Boarding House Blues**

**Fanfic **

_After several minutes going over some folders left on the desk, there is a knock on the door to the manager's room. Kuro steels herself._

_Kanako turns and calls out, "Yes, who is it?"_

"_Pardon me, Kanako-san. It's Shinto Maehara. I came up to tell you that lunch will be ready in ten minutes." Shinobu says through the door._

_Relaxing a bit, Kanako answers "Thank you, Maehara-san. I shall be down shortly."_

"_Hai, of course, Kanako-san." Shinobu heads downstairs to prepare lunch._

**Chapter Eighteen – **

**Sunday, lunch**

As Shinobu finishes preparing lunch, Naru and Kitsune head into the kitchen to see if she needs a hand. Shinobu asks "Nar-, uh Nabeshin-sempai, do you think it would be okay if we visited Sempai in the hospital today? M-maybe we could bring some lunch for him?"

Naru re-adjusts her wig and rubs her chin. "I think that's a great idea, _Shinto_. But . . ." she looks around and motions for Kitsune to watch the door. The Fox cracks the dining room door a little, and reaches behind her with a 'thumbs-up' sign. Naru continues "but I think it might be better if we go see him as ourselves. Which begs the question . . how do we do that and keep his sister Kanako from discovering our secret?"

Shinobu shakes her head as she checks the pork-fried rice. "I-I hadn't thought about that, b-but I would like to visit Sempai as myself, too."

Kitsune motions for Motoko, who had just entered the dining room, to come to the kitchen. She turns as the sword maiden enters and says "Ah think Haruka might be able to help us out. She has that closet full o' clothes, so Ah think she outta have something we can wear that looks normal. Leastways, we won't be seen by Kanako walking outta here as girls." Kitsune snickers "Although, that might be worth it just to see the look on her face."

Motoko shakes her head "We have already deceived Urashima and his sister enough with the deception of posing as our own brothers. It would be an added burden for her to see the 'brothers' walk out dressed as girls. We would then never be able to come here as ourselves while she is around."

Naru nods. "Motoko's right. We've already lied too much as it is, and I'm not happy with how I feel about it. I hope Haruka's plan works soon."

**Sunday afternoon**

After Kanako has reviewed the books and arranged her schedule for the next week, she spends the rest of the afternoon re-familiarizing herself with Hinata-sou and the renovations Keitaro has made. Kuro, having recovered from the unexpected confrontation with the 'guys', explores the grounds for good places she can hide during the evenings when Kanako has left for the day.

Once she is confident she has seen what she needs, Kanako prepares a dinner for Kuro before leaving for the night. Kuro eats, and then heads for the roof to get some late sun for a quick cat-nap. And to hide from the 'guys'.

**Monday through Thursday**

Kanako spends her days managing the inn. She occasionally comes across one of the tenants in the course of her rounds. She also finds various 'love' notes to the manager; secret rendezvous instructions (meet me up on the roof of Hinata-sou, look for me in the old annex, let's meet under the table in the kitchen, I have something that needs cleaning in the laundry room, etc), acting like females around Kanako (although they look, smell and sound like guys), and other things to make Kanako want to have innocent females in the dorm rather than these 'jerks' who are attracted to her brother.

She has numerous 'run-ins' with the residents. The most note-worthy being:

Monday morning, she finds Su in the common room, tinkering with the automatic thermos.

"What are you doing, Lamba-san? Is the hot-pot broken?"

"Nah, I just wants to boost its output. I gets tired of waiting more thans a minute for hot water."

"That model is one of the newest on the market. You cannot improve it."

Su presses the button on the hot-pot, and a second later, it flash-heats the water to steam, blasting Kanako in the face. As the steam clears, Kanako is standing there, her hair flared straight backwards.

"Oopsies. Musta had the silly thing in overdriven."

"I suggest you return this unit to its original operating condition before someone is injured. Seriously injured."

Kuro flies past as Kanako departs, and Su waves. Kuro glares at Su, angered that she damaged her master's hair that way, and prepares to tell Kanako that the spigot had been aimed at her face on purpose. Suddenly, she slams into a fish monger's sign hanging from the ceiling. _(Ouch, hey, that wasn't there a minute ago.)_

Later, Monday afternoon, she runs into Kitsune in the gardens, rummaging through the bushes.

"Shimura-san, what are you doing crawling in the bushes?"

Standing, Kitsune looks abashedly at Kanako "Oh, nothing, Urashima-san, nothing." She glances nervously and quickly up, a movement not unnoticed by Kanako. Kanako looks up, and notices that they are underneath the window to the manager's room. An almost invisible line hangs from the railing outside Keitaro's window. Kanako gestures Kitsune to step aside, and enters the bushes. Following the line down, she finds it is attached to a small basket with a bottle of sake and some glasses in it.

"What, may I ask, are these for?"

Twirling 'his' shoe in the dirt, Kitsune says "Well, Ah was just getting ready for when ya'll brings Kei-kun home. Ah did offer to assist in taking care of him, if ya remember."

"I don't remember that agreement including sake to get my dear brother drunk. You may take this basket and return it to your room." As Kitsune picks it up, Kanako takes the sake, opens it, and pours it on the ground. Looking as if she is summoning all her will-power to keep from crying over the spilled liquor, the Fox stands there and glares at Kanako. "In the future, you will refrain from offering my brother anything more stimulating than strong tea. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir, Ah mean ma'am. Can't blame a guy fer trying." Calming down, she continues, "Ah gotta say, though, ya'll are _almost_ attractive when ya take charge like a man. Ah could almost appreciate ya." Kitsune winks at Kanako.

As Kanako leaves in a definite rush, Kitsune smiles. _(Well, good thing Ah put vinegar in that old sake bottle. Waste not, want not!)_

Flying after Kanako, Kuro rushes to tell her that that was a set-up, that the bottle never had any sake at all, it was only vinegar. Sensing something, Kuro just evades being clipped by a stone falling from no-where, and slams into a fish monger's sign. _(Ow ow ow! What the …? Oh, I see, that's the way it is, eh? Mister Writer? No talky about the secrets, huh? Sheesh, what _**can**_ I do around here, comic relief?)_ A coconut-cream pie flies past, narrowly missing the cat's head. _(Ooops, never mind, forget I asked. I'll just go find some sand to play in, OK?)_

Tuesday morning, Kanako finds Shinobu and Mutsumi in the kitchen discussing menus for Keitaro's diet when he returns.

Mutsumi "Oh, good morning, Urashima-kun. Shinto and I are making sure that we have an adequate supply of genki on-hand for Kei-kun."

_[ed note: Genki are traditional foods in Japan for boosting energy. In this case, they are refering to 'sexual' energy.]_

Shinobu, going over a list "I have K-Krill oil, honeysuckle extract, oy-oysters, Koi, Kobe beef, wax privet, fortified rice…"

Kanako "Shinto, those aren't foods a convalescing individual needs to be eating."

"I know, Kanako-sempai. We are confident that Hikari will have taken care of his injuries. We j-just want to, w-well, ah….Aaauuuuu!"

Mutsumi, "We must ensure Kei-kun can stay up with the demands that will be upon him when he returns."

"Ah think ya'll are gonna work this just right. Kei-Kei will definitely be 'rising' to the occasion, if you know what Ah mean." Kitsune says from the doorway, looking in on the trio. Shinobu blushes.

Kanako "You will not, under any circumstances, feed that type of, of _**food**_ to my brother while I am here. He must be fed nutritious, wholesome food, not gen- . . not genki." Kanako turns and leaves the kitchen, but notices the look Mutsumi gives her on the way, and overhears, "Oh my, what then shall we get? Kei-kun cannot survive on melons alone, you know." Mutsumi says, smiling sweetly at Kanako. Kitsune snickers.

Kuro is sitting on the cabinet in the dining room, watching as Kanako walks out the front door. Kuro thinks about flying out the door and telling Kanako that the shopping list was actually blank and they were lying to her. An aluminum pan falls near the door and a fish monger's sign flaps down just outside the door. _(Ah! So that's how it works. The writer has everything on automatic. That'll make everything easy. I'll just stick to the floor from now on.)_ Kuro jumps down from the cabinet and falls through a trap door. Twenty minutes later, Kuro squeezes out of a hole near the hot springs, fur completely tossled. _(Oh man! That Moe is just about the scariest thing you'd EVER wanna run into in a dark room. Brrrrrrrr. Nearly scared me outta all nine lives!)_

Wednesday noon, Kanako is sitting in the manager's office when there is a knock on the door.

"Kanako-san, it is Muzuno and Nabeshin. Are you available?"

Rising from the desk, Kanako turns to the door "Yes, please enter."

Motoko and Naru walk into the office. They glance around quickly, and then step up to the interim manager.

"How may I assist the two of you?"

Motoko starts "Urashima-san, we understand that this may be of a personal nature, but there are some questions we have about your brother, and feel that perhaps you can best answer them for us."

Naru "Yes, we are pleased with his performance as our manager, and wish to show our appreciation."

"What is it you need from me?"

Motoko, "What size clothing does Keitaro wear?"

Naru "Uh, specifically, what are his measurements?"

"Why would you require such detailed information about my dear brother?'

Naru smiles, "We want to buy him some less, ah, conservative clothing so that he can, on occasion, accompany us for some friendly 'get-togethers', here and around town."

Motoko "Yes, he works very hard, and it would be good for him to relax. We would like him to accompany us, but his current style of clothing is rather plain, and he may feel out-of-place without something more appropriate to wear."

Kanako, having had enough of the current residents' blatant attraction to her brother, steps face-to-face with Muzuno and Nabeshin and says "Under no situations will I allow you to use my brother as your private 'dress-up' doll. What you do on your own time is not my concern, but here, you will maintain yourselves as tenants, and treat my brother as your manager, nothing more. Do I make myself clear?"

After a few tense moments, Motoko and Naru back-off slightly, but do not give way completely.

Kuro takes the opportunity to fly towards the window. At the last moment, she turns, avoiding the automatic writer's block, and swings past Muzuno and Nabeshin, pulling their wigs off as she heads out the door (_Yes! Success! Now Kanako will see that I am her number-one right-hand cat! Those girls think they are sooo clever. Ha ha, who's got the last laugh now, Mr. Writer?)_ Kuro continues flying down the hallway, tossing the wigs into the 'guys' room as she goes by _(Not that you'll ever need them again, heh heh.)_ Hearing Kanako's scream of fury, Kuro smiles and goes to pick up her little travel pack_. (Ah, my work here is done. I'll just wait for Kanako at her apartment.)_

Kanako stares at her two tenants, rage growing over what the loss of their wigs has revealed. Muzuno is revealed to have spiked purple hair under his curly brown wig. Nabeshin is a raging baldy, tattoos covering his scalp under his false blonde crew-cut wig.

Kanako cries out in fury, disgusted at what she sees. Muzuno and Nabeshin stand there proudly, unashamed at being revealed as punk boys.

Motoko, eyes flaring, "Urashima-san. Sister you may be, but you have no authority as manager nor as his kin to tell us how we may or may not socialize with whomever we choice! Keitaro is a grown man, and is free to accept our relationship offers as he sees fit. There is nothing in our contracts that forbid inter-personal relationships between us or with our manager."

Kanako glares at the two. "Be that as it may, I will do nothing to assist you in your endeavors, and will prevent your stealing of my dear brother. I believe this meeting serves no purpose. And on a side note: I am of the opinion that my brother would have been better off hiring out these rooms to girls instead of men such as yourselves." Kanako sits at the desk and gestures for the two tenants to leave.

Going back to Motoko's room, they walk stiffly, fists at their sides as if enraged. As they close the door to the sword maiden's room behind them, Motoko and Naru giggle and give each other the 'thumbs-up' sign. Motoko sighs, "I have no idea why you decided to have us wear two sets of wigs, but thank the Spirits we followed your advice. Otherwise, that deceitful cat would have revealed our secret." Motoko looks around for the feline, her hand reaching for her sword.

Naru nods her head "I know it was just a thought, but something about that cat flying around worried me. But a thought just seemed to type itself into my mind this morning: 'wear a second set of wigs today'. Weird."


End file.
